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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. last — to go on
  3. chip — to eat
  4. can — to be able to
  5. land — a country
  6. last — finally
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. current — electric
  9. current — happening now
  10. last — final
  11. can — a tin
  12. chip — for betting
  13. saw — the tool
  14. can — a tin
  15. land — ground
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. land — to come down
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — with a leg

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