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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. wind — moving air
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. current — of water
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. current — happening now
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. deal — to handle
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. current — electric
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. squash — the sport

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