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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 116 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chip — to eat
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. current — electric
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pitch — completely
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. track — a song
  13. rush — hurry
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. track — to keep track
  17. current — of water
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. chip — for betting
  21. track — a path
  22. current — happening now
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. wound — an injury

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