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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: roll · game · current · mate · chip · pit · shower · land

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. game — a match
  3. pit — in a race
  4. current — electric
  5. land — to come down
  6. pit — a hole
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — a friend
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. land — ground
  11. shower — rain
  12. chip — for betting
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. mate — to breed
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. land — a country
  20. current — happening now
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. current — of water
  23. game — wild animals
  24. chip — to eat

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