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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chip — to eat
  3. game — a match
  4. current — of water
  5. wake — a trail
  6. current — electric
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. game — wild animals
  9. can — to be able to
  10. chip — for betting
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. current — happening now
  13. chest — of your body
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. can — a tin
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. plane — a tool
  23. can — a tin
  24. chair — a leader

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