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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: mark · content · march · chip · date · firm · cell · current

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. march — the month
  5. firm — a company
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — happy
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. current — of water
  12. firm — decided
  13. chip — to eat
  14. current — happening now
  15. cell — a phone
  16. march — the month
  17. firm — steady
  18. content — the amount
  19. march — music
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. current — electric
  22. date — the fruit
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — a grade

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