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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 · hide · mug · chip · race · land · lean · march

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. land — ground
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. lean — to bend
  6. land — a country
  7. current — of water
  8. race — humankind
  9. march — the month
  10. mug — to rob
  11. march — the month
  12. current — electric
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. march — music
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. current — happening now
  17. chip — for betting
  18. race — the arms race
  19. mug — a cup
  20. lean — thin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. race — a contest
  23. mug — a face
  24. land — to come down

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