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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. content — the amount
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. current — of water
  6. current — electric
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. last — to go on
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. last — finally
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chip — for betting
  15. current — happening now
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. content — happy
  20. row — to paddle
  21. last — final
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. row — a line
  24. content — videos and posts

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