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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: current · stand · chip · game · chest · arm · cue · tear

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. tear — from crying
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. chest — of your body
  6. current — of water
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. tear — from crying
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cue — for pool
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. current — happening now
  17. chip — to eat
  18. cue — a signal
  19. game — a match
  20. cue — a hint
  21. game — wild animals
  22. tear — to rip
  23. chip — for betting
  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