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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  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. pound — to hit hard
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. clip — to cut
  4. chip — for betting
  5. current — happening now
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wind — moving air
  9. clip — a video
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. current — of water
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. chip — to eat
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pound — a weight
  19. fall — the season
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. clip — for paper
  23. current — electric
  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