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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: rush · chest · jam · mark · current · chip · object · pass

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. rush — hurry
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. object — to protest
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. object — a thing
  8. current — of water
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. pass — a permit
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. object — an aim
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. current — electric
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mark — a trace
  18. chest — a box
  19. mark — a grade
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chip — to eat
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in a computer

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