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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. field — a subject
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pit — a hole
  12. current — happening now
  13. pit — in a race
  14. cap — of ice
  15. field — for sport
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. chip — to eat
  18. current — electric
  19. field — farmland
  20. tube — the underground
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. tube — a container
  23. cap — a lid
  24. hide — animal skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com