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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: date · drill · current · bark · mark · rule · chip · face

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mark — a grade
  5. drill — a practice
  6. face — to point toward
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — for betting
  9. current — of water
  10. rule — government
  11. date — the fruit
  12. current — electric
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. drill — army training
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bark — to shout
  19. drill — the tool
  20. face — to confront
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. rule — a law
  24. current — happening now

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