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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 116 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. current — happening now
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cold — an illness
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. charge — electricity
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. charge — in control
  12. bound — tied together
  13. hand — help
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bound — certain
  17. current — electric
  18. cold — not warm
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. charge — a price
  22. current — of water
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bound — obliged

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