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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: current · board · land · chip · stick · roll · rule · content

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. roll — a list
  2. land — a country
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rule — government
  5. current — electric
  6. board — a committee
  7. current — happening now
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. rule — a law
  15. content — happy
  16. content — the amount
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. land — ground
  19. chip — to eat
  20. land — to come down
  21. roll — a cake
  22. current — of water
  23. board — to get on
  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