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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bound — obliged
  6. rest — a break
  7. current — of water
  8. chip — for betting
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. chip — to eat
  11. current — electric
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bound — tied together
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rash — a series
  21. bound — certain
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rash — hasty

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