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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. current — happening now
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mate — a partner
  5. chip — to eat
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. rest — a break
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rest — what's left
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mate — to breed
  13. current — electric
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. mate — a friend
  16. rest — what's left
  17. branch — a division
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. current — of water
  24. clip — to cut

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