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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · tube · cap · deal · chair · current · pound · chip

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. deal — to handle
  6. cap — of ice
  7. game — wild animals
  8. chair — a leader
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. tube — a container
  12. cap — a lid
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. cap — a hat
  15. chip — for betting
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. current — electric
  21. current — of water
  22. tube — the underground
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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