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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. current — happening now
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bank — of a river
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. chair — a leader
  13. lie — to recline
  14. squash — the sport
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. squash — to crush
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. current — of water
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. date — the fruit

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