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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: current · chip · present · tear · rock · mark · kid · rest

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — of water
  4. rest — a break
  5. chip — for betting
  6. kid — to tease
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. present — a gift
  11. mark — a trace
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. present — there
  16. kid — child
  17. mark — a grade
  18. chip — to eat
  19. tear — to rip
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rock — a stone
  23. tear — from crying
  24. current — electric

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