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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. kid — to tease
  3. chip — for betting
  4. deal — to handle
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. current — happening now
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. chip — to eat
  10. drill — a practice
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. current — of water
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. drill — army training
  17. rash — hasty
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rash — a series
  20. current — electric
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. drill — the tool
  24. kid — child

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