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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. shower — to wash
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. last — to go on
  6. squash — to crush
  7. current — of water
  8. chip — for betting
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. last — final
  11. bank — for money
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bat — the animal
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. shower — rain
  18. current — electric
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bank — for money
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. current — happening now
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bank — of a river

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