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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 124 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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. squash — to crush
  5. current — electric
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — not warm
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. current — of water
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. toast — bread
  15. current — happening now
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. chip — for betting
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. cold — an illness
  21. squash — the sport
  22. fall — to drop
  23. snap — to click
  24. mouse — the animal

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