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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 120 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — to paddle
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rest — what's left
  7. board — a committee
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. shower — rain
  10. row — a line
  11. chip — to eat
  12. shower — to wash
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. current — of water
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. board — to get on
  20. current — electric
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. chip — for betting
  24. ground — a position

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