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

Word bank: rest · wind · season · foot · chip · current · toast · mate

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. wind — moving air
  4. chip — to eat
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. current — of water
  7. wind — moving air
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. mate — to breed
  10. toast — bread
  11. season — in sport
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. foot — a measure
  14. rest — what's left
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. mate — a friend
  17. current — electric
  18. mate — a partner
  19. rest — what's left
  20. season — of the year
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. rest — a break
  23. current — happening now
  24. wind — to turn a key

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