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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: board · spell · bat · chip · current · race · scale · cabinet

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. chip — for betting
  4. board — a committee
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chip — to eat
  9. spell — letters
  10. current — happening now
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. scale — in music
  14. spell — a short time
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. race — the arms race
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. current — electric
  19. race — humankind
  20. board — to get on
  21. bat — the animal
  22. spell — magic
  23. race — a contest
  24. bat — for 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