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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chip — to eat
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. cap — a hat
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. cap — a lid
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. current — happening now
  9. wake — a trail
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the sport
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. toast — bread
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. chip — for betting
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. current — of water
  19. cap — of ice
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. current — electric
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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