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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cap — a lid
  3. current — of water
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. current — happening now
  7. court — for sport
  8. chip — for betting
  9. court — of law
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. squash — to crush
  12. face — to point toward
  13. court — of a king
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. face — to confront
  16. chip — to eat
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. face — part of the head
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a hat
  21. foot — a measure
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. current — electric

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