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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: rash · mate · cold · wind · chip · mouse · firm · current

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. mate — a partner
  3. chip — to eat
  4. firm — a company
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. mate — to breed
  7. firm — steady
  8. firm — decided
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. mate — a friend
  12. current — electric
  13. current — of water
  14. wind — moving air
  15. chip — for betting
  16. rash — a series
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. cold — not warm
  19. rash — hasty
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. current — happening now
  23. cold — an illness
  24. mouse — the animal

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