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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. mark — a grade
  3. content — happy
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. current — of water
  8. bass — low music
  9. current — happening now
  10. board — to get on
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — of ice
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. board — a committee
  18. content — the amount
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mark — a trace
  21. current — electric
  22. cap — a lid
  23. wound — an injury
  24. chip — for betting

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