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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. current — electric
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. cell — a phone
  6. current — happening now
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. season — of the year
  12. current — of water
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rule — government
  18. staff — employees
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. season — in sport
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. rule — a law

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