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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: content · nail · chip · current · drill · file · game · land

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. file — a document
  3. chip — to eat
  4. content — happy
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. file — a tool
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. file — a line of people
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a match
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. current — happening now
  14. land — ground
  15. current — of water
  16. land — to come down
  17. drill — the tool
  18. content — the amount
  19. land — a country
  20. drill — army training
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. chip — for betting
  23. current — electric
  24. drill — a practice

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