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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chip — to eat
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cap — a lid
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. swing — in golf
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mate — a partner
  9. kick — in football
  10. current — happening now
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. chip — for betting
  13. mate — a friend
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. swing — music
  18. cap — of ice
  19. swing — to play on
  20. current — of water
  21. cap — a hat
  22. current — electric
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mate — to breed

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