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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. chip — for betting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. current — happening now
  7. staff — employees
  8. kick — in football
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. chip — to eat
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. rest — a break
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — a phone
  21. current — electric
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. cell — in biology

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