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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. chip — for betting
  3. land — a country
  4. current — happening now
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. game — wild animals
  7. current — electric
  8. land — to come down
  9. shower — rain
  10. can — a tin
  11. kid — to tease
  12. land — ground
  13. can — a tin
  14. kid — child
  15. track — a path
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. track — a song
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — to wash
  21. can — to be able to
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. track — to keep track

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