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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. chip — to eat
  3. press — to push
  4. clip — a video
  5. chip — for betting
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. row — to paddle
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. clip — to cut
  10. current — happening now
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. current — electric
  13. clip — for paper
  14. wake — a trail
  15. press — a publisher
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. land — to come down
  19. pound — a weight
  20. land — a country
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. land — ground
  23. press — newspapers
  24. row — a line

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