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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. current — happening now
  3. file — a document
  4. cap — a hat
  5. chip — for betting
  6. current — of water
  7. season — in sport
  8. chip — to eat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. season — of the year
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — in golf
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. current — electric
  17. file — a tool
  18. cap — a lid
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. swing — to play on

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