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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bank — for money
  3. ground — crushed
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cold — not warm
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. current — of water
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bank — of a river
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. current — happening now
  14. ground — a position
  15. cold — an illness
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. bank — for money
  18. pass — a permit
  19. wake — a trail
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. current — electric
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. cold — the Cold War

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