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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. face — part of the head
  3. current — happening now
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. current — electric
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. chip — to eat
  10. land — a country
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. land — to come down
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. chip — for betting
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. current — of water
  17. bark — to shout
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — to point toward
  23. land — ground
  24. game — a match

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