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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. current — of water
  3. perch — the fish
  4. lean — to bend
  5. current — electric
  6. cold — not warm
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. lean — thin
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. cold — an illness
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mine — for digging
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. current — happening now
  24. cold — the Cold War

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