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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. current — happening now
  4. sharp — clever
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. chip — to eat
  7. current — electric
  8. chip — for betting
  9. snap — to click
  10. craft — a skill
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. craft — boats
  17. fork — in a road
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. current — of water
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. dip — to sink
  24. craft — a handicraft

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