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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 120 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: can · tear · pass · squash · current · object · chip · mate

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. object — an aim
  5. current — of water
  6. mate — a partner
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. tear — to rip
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pass — a permit
  12. current — electric
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — to eat
  15. can — a tin
  16. squash — the sport
  17. object — to protest
  18. can — a tin
  19. squash — to crush
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. object — a thing
  23. can — to be able to
  24. pass — to succeed

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