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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — a tin
  3. present — the time now
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. can — to be able to
  6. present — a gift
  7. cell — a phone
  8. present — there
  9. game — a match
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — music
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. pop — soda
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. current — happening now
  21. chip — for betting
  22. game — wild animals
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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