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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 120 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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. court — of law
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. staff — a stick
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pitch — completely
  8. current — electric
  9. current — happening now
  10. clip — for paper
  11. staff — employees
  12. hand — help
  13. clip — a video
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. chip — for betting
  17. staff — employees
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. squash — the sport
  21. current — of water
  22. hand — in cards
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. chip — to eat

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