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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 116 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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. last — final
  3. bank — for money
  4. cell — a phone
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. current — electric
  8. bank — of a river
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. rest — what's left
  11. squash — to crush
  12. cell — in biology
  13. last — to go on
  14. current — happening now
  15. bank — for money
  16. row — a line
  17. rest — a break
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. last — finally
  22. current — of water
  23. squash — the sport
  24. row — to paddle

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