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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bore — to drill
  3. chip — for betting
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. capital — money
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bore — to tire
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. current — of water
  13. march — music
  14. chair — a leader
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. current — electric
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. march — the month
  22. capital — a city
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. march — the month

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