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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. file — a line of people
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. capital — money
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. file — a document
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. chip — for betting
  12. current — of water
  13. mine — for digging
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. chip — to eat
  16. capital — a city
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — electric
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. file — a tool
  24. chair — a leader

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