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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: current · hide · chest · squash · lie · rule · spell · stock

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. squash — the sport
  3. lie — to recline
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. current — electric
  6. squash — to crush
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. current — of water
  9. rule — a law
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. rule — government
  17. current — happening now
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. chest — of your body
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — magic
  24. rule — to rule out

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