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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: current · last · land · board · cold · rush · ground · object

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. land — to come down
  3. current — electric
  4. land — ground
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. ground — the earth
  7. last — final
  8. current — of water
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. land — a country
  11. board — a committee
  12. last — finally
  13. object — an aim
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. object — to protest
  17. current — happening now
  18. cold — not warm
  19. last — to go on
  20. ground — a position
  21. object — a thing
  22. cold — an illness
  23. ground — crushed
  24. board — to get on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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