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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. capital — a city
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. capital — money
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. current — electric
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. race — a contest
  12. chip — for betting
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. race — the arms race
  16. chip — to eat
  17. race — humankind
  18. squash — to crush
  19. pitch — completely
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. squash — the sport
  24. current — of water

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