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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cue — for pool
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. roll — a cake
  9. hand — help
  10. squash — to crush
  11. current — electric
  12. toast — bread
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. roll — a list
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a ring
  19. current — of water
  20. squash — the sport
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — a hint
  24. hide — animal skin

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