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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. cue — a signal
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cue — a hint
  8. can — a tin
  9. chip — for betting
  10. hand — in cards
  11. cue — for pool
  12. can — to be able to
  13. current — of water
  14. current — happening now
  15. cap — a lid
  16. squash — to crush
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. hand — help
  19. current — electric
  20. wind — moving air
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — the sport
  23. cap — of ice
  24. can — a tin

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