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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. current — of water
  3. spell — letters
  4. can — to be able to
  5. file — a line of people
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — to eat
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. file — a tool
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. spell — magic
  14. kick — in football
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. can — a tin
  17. current — happening now
  18. can — a tin
  19. lie — to recline
  20. spell — a short time
  21. current — electric
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. file — a document
  24. kick — with a leg

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