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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. spring — of water
  3. fork — in a road
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — for betting
  8. pitch — completely
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. current — happening now
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — to tease
  13. charge — electricity
  14. spring — a coil
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. current — of water
  19. charge — in control
  20. spring — the season
  21. current — electric
  22. charge — a price
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. fork — to eat with

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