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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. current — happening now
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. chip — for betting
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. squash — the sport
  7. face — to confront
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. kid — child
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. current — electric
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. cap — a lid
  16. face — to point toward
  17. squash — to crush
  18. kid — to tease
  19. chip — to eat
  20. current — of water
  21. face — part of the head
  22. cap — a hat
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. plane — a tool

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