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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. suit — in cards
  4. suit — to fit
  5. kid — child
  6. bank — for money
  7. chip — for betting
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mug — a face
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. kid — to tease
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bank — of a river
  15. current — electric
  16. row — a line
  17. suit — clothes
  18. chip — to eat
  19. current — happening now
  20. bank — for money
  21. current — of water
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. row — to paddle

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