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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. squash — to crush
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. current — electric
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — of water
  11. squash — the sport
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. object — an aim
  14. object — to protest
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. craft — a skill
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. object — a thing
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. craft — boats
  24. wind — moving air

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