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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 120 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — of water
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. squash — the sport
  6. current — electric
  7. bound — certain
  8. land — to come down
  9. tube — the underground
  10. lie — to recline
  11. land — a country
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cell — in biology
  14. chip — to eat
  15. land — ground
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. chip — for betting
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cell — a phone
  20. tube — a container
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. squash — to crush

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