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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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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: bay · clip · squash · row · toast · current · file · saw

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. row — a line
  3. clip — for paper
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. current — happening now
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. current — electric
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. clip — a video
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. saw — the tool
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. saw — the tool
  16. row — to paddle
  17. current — of water
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. toast — bread
  20. file — a document
  21. squash — to crush
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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