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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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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: rule · last · chip · jam · nail · hand · row · current

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. current — of water
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. hand — in cards
  5. chip — to eat
  6. current — electric
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rule — a law
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rule — government
  11. current — happening now
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. row — a line
  17. last — final
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. last — to go on
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. last — finally
  23. hand — help
  24. chip — for betting

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