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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. chip — to eat
  3. current — of water
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. saw — the tool
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. capital — money
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — completely
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. saw — the tool
  15. current — happening now
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. capital — a city
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. chip — for betting
  21. current — electric
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. wave — with your hand

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