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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. current — electric
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. current — of water
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. hand — help
  11. stem — to come from
  12. shower — to wash
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. rule — government
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. rule — a law
  17. deal — to handle
  18. hand — in cards
  19. shower — rain
  20. chair — a leader
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. chip — to eat
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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