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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · arm · current · season · bowl · chip · wind · game

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. current — electric
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. chip — to eat
  6. fine — high quality
  7. current — happening now
  8. game — a match
  9. season — in sport
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. wind — moving air
  15. season — of the year
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. current — of water
  19. wind — moving air
  20. chip — for betting
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. game — wild animals
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — a penalty

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