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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: cabinet · squash · calf · spell · game · current · wound · lie

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. current — of water
  3. current — happening now
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. spell — a short time
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. squash — the sport
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. game — a match
  12. lie — to recline
  13. spell — magic
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. spell — letters
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wound — an injury
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — to crush
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. current — electric
  24. game — a kind of play

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