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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. chip — for betting
  4. track — a song
  5. lean — thin
  6. game — a match
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. track — a path
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mine — for digging
  13. current — of water
  14. lean — to bend
  15. track — to keep track
  16. current — electric
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. game — wild animals
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. toast — bread
  24. current — happening now

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