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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. track — a song
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. current — electric
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. current — of water
  10. chip — to eat
  11. game — a match
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. game — wild animals
  14. current — happening now
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. track — to keep track
  22. squash — the sport
  23. chip — for betting
  24. toast — bread

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