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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 116 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: squash · can · cap · rash · lie · current · chair · land

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. chair — a leader
  3. land — a country
  4. cap — a lid
  5. lie — to recline
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. squash — to crush
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. current — electric
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. can — to be able to
  18. land — ground
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — of ice
  21. rash — a series
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. land — to come down
  24. rash — hasty

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