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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. current — happening now
  10. pit — in a race
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. current — of water
  15. branch — a division
  16. cold — an illness
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. squash — to crush
  19. pit — a hole
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. current — electric
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. hide — to keep secret

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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