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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: chip · rule · ground · hand · current · game · season · toast

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. rule — a law
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. ground — the earth
  7. hand — in cards
  8. current — of water
  9. ground — crushed
  10. season — in sport
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — to eat
  15. game — a match
  16. season — of the year
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — electric
  19. ground — a position
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. toast — bread
  23. game — wild animals
  24. rule — government

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