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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · chip · cap · sharp · mate · march · rush · field

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. chip — to eat
  3. chip — for betting
  4. current — of water
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. field — for sport
  7. march — the month
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. mate — a partner
  12. current — happening now
  13. cap — of ice
  14. current — electric
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. field — a subject
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. field — farmland
  21. march — music
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. cap — a lid
  24. march — the month

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