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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. chip — to eat
  6. capital — money
  7. chip — for betting
  8. current — electric
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. current — happening now
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. staff — employees
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. capital — a city
  18. current — of water
  19. charge — electricity
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. staff — employees
  22. charge — a price
  23. charge — in control
  24. wind — moving air

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