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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: kick · lie · squash · march · fine · current · cell · rest

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. rest — what's left
  3. current — of water
  4. current — electric
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. march — the month
  10. cell — a phone
  11. rest — what's left
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. squash — to crush
  18. current — happening now
  19. fine — high quality
  20. squash — the sport
  21. fine — all right
  22. lie — to recline
  23. rest — a break
  24. cell — in biology

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