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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. chest — a box
  3. pop — music
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — to crush
  6. current — happening now
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. drill — the tool
  9. current — of water
  10. chest — of your body
  11. snap — to click
  12. bank — of a river
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. drill — a practice
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pop — to visit
  17. chest — of your body
  18. drill — army training
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. current — electric
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. pop — soda

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