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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: band · wound · current · can · date · foot · chip · sharp

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — for betting
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. can — a tin
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. sharp — clever
  7. current — electric
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. foot — a measure
  10. wound — an injury
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wound — an injury
  13. band — a ring
  14. can — a tin
  15. band — a music group
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. date — the fruit
  18. can — to be able to
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. current — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. date — on the calendar

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