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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. chip — for betting
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. stock — shares
  7. cell — a phone
  8. current — of water
  9. squash — the sport
  10. cell — in biology
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. current — happening now
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. current — electric
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. foot — a measure
  18. squash — to crush
  19. sharp — clever
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. stock — goods
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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