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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 116 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — a group
  4. pitch — completely
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. chip — for betting
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. saw — the tool
  10. current — happening now
  11. saw — the tool
  12. current — of water
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. club — for golf
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. current — electric
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. chip — to eat
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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