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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. current — happening now
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. pound — a weight
  5. club — a group
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. current — of water
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. current — electric
  18. chip — to eat
  19. rash — a series
  20. club — for golf
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. club — for dancing
  24. chip — for betting

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