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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: current · chip · pitcher · band · plane · content · game · tear

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. content — the amount
  3. game — wild animals
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. tear — from crying
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — for betting
  11. plane — a tool
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a ring
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. tear — to rip
  18. content — happy
  19. tear — from crying
  20. band — a music group
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. chip — to eat
  23. current — electric
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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