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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. swing — to play on
  3. chip — for betting
  4. current — electric
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. drill — army training
  7. swing — music
  8. current — of water
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. chip — to eat
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. cap — a lid
  13. roll — a list
  14. cap — of ice
  15. current — happening now
  16. mine — for digging
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cap — a hat
  20. drill — the tool
  21. tear — to rip
  22. swing — in golf
  23. roll — a cake
  24. tear — from crying

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