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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 120 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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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. chip — to eat
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. chip — for betting
  4. wound — an injury
  5. current — electric
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pitch — completely
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wax — to grow
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. current — happening now
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. march — the month
  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