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

Word bank: bore · cap · cell · saw · chip · bowl · current · kid

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. cell — in biology
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. current — of water
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bore — to tire
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. kid — child
  13. current — electric
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. kid — to tease
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. current — happening now
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cell — a phone
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bore — to drill

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