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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — an illness
  4. charge — electricity
  5. clip — a video
  6. net — in sport
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. charge — a price
  10. object — to protest
  11. current — of water
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. net — for catching
  14. clip — to cut
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — electric
  17. chip — for betting
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. chip — to eat
  20. clip — for paper
  21. object — a thing
  22. net — after costs
  23. charge — in control
  24. cold — not warm

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