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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. current — electric
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. wind — moving air
  6. squash — to crush
  7. current — of water
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. wind — moving air
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. current — happening now
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — high quality
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a trace
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mark — a grade
  24. coach — a trainer

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