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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: squash · cold · ruler · current · fan · track · date · snap

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. squash — to crush
  3. snap — to click
  4. current — happening now
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. track — a path
  7. current — electric
  8. current — of water
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. squash — the sport
  18. cold — an illness
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. date — the fruit
  22. track — a song
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cold — not warm

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