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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: rush · current · clip · season · jam · present · chip · drill

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  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. rush — to hurry
  2. clip — a video
  3. current — electric
  4. clip — to cut
  5. rush — hurry
  6. chip — to eat
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — the tool
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. present — there
  13. season — in sport
  14. chip — for betting
  15. present — the time now
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. clip — for paper
  18. present — a gift
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. current — of water
  21. drill — a practice
  22. season — of the year
  23. jam — a tight spot
  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