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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bound — certain
  3. spell — a short time
  4. current — of water
  5. bound — obliged
  6. kid — child
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. bound — tied together
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. chip — for betting
  11. tube — the underground
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. roll — a list
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. cell — a phone
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. roll — a cake
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. kid — to tease
  21. tube — a container
  22. cell — in biology
  23. chip — to eat
  24. current — electric

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