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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. object — to protest
  3. current — happening now
  4. object — a thing
  5. cold — not warm
  6. squash — to crush
  7. staff — employees
  8. object — an aim
  9. current — electric
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cold — an illness
  13. squash — the sport
  14. staff — a stick
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. staff — employees
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. nail — on a finger

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