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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: march · rash · current · ground · racket · bound · last · chip

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. current — happening now
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. last — finally
  5. current — of water
  6. rash — hasty
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. march — music
  9. chip — to eat
  10. march — the month
  11. ground — crushed
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. ground — the earth
  14. last — final
  15. current — electric
  16. chip — for betting
  17. rash — a series
  18. last — to go on
  19. ground — a position
  20. march — the month
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bound — certain
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bound — tied together

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