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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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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: cabinet · kid · chip · current · fall · march · rest · ground

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — child
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. kid — to tease
  7. current — happening now
  8. rest — what's left
  9. current — of water
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. current — electric
  12. rest — a break
  13. chip — to eat
  14. rest — what's left
  15. march — music
  16. fall — to drop
  17. march — the month
  18. ground — the earth
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. chip — for betting
  22. ground — a position
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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