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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: rule · chip · current · mark · last · chest · foot · bound

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rule — government
  4. current — electric
  5. last — finally
  6. mark — a grade
  7. current — happening now
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. foot — a measure
  10. bound — certain
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. mark — a trace
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chip — for betting
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. last — to go on
  20. chest — a box
  21. last — final
  22. bound — obliged
  23. rule — a law
  24. bound — tied together

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