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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. spring — a coil
  6. current — happening now
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. current — of water
  9. pit — a hole
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. row — to paddle
  13. cue — for pool
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cue — a signal
  16. chip — to eat
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a match
  19. current — electric
  20. spring — the season
  21. pit — in a race
  22. row — a line
  23. chip — for betting
  24. spring — of water

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