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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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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: chip · rule · bat · pop · wound · current · march · racket

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. current — of water
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — a law
  6. bat — the animal
  7. pop — soda
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wound — an injury
  11. current — happening now
  12. chip — to eat
  13. pop — music
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. current — electric
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. march — music
  20. pop — to visit
  21. chip — for betting
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. rule — government

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