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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: current · cabinet · last · cell · row · perch · deal · saw

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. current — happening now
  3. saw — the tool
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. perch — the fish
  7. row — a line
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. cell — in biology
  11. last — to go on
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. current — electric
  15. current — of water
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. last — final
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cell — a phone
  20. last — finally
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. row — to paddle
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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