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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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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. current — happening now
  4. spell — letters
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wound — an injury
  7. current — electric
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. land — a country
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. current — of water
  16. chip — to eat
  17. wound — an injury
  18. land — to come down
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. squash — the sport
  21. land — ground
  22. chip — for betting
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. squash — the vegetable

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