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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 120 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 · rash · suit · fall · perch · net · squash · hide

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. squash — the sport
  3. current — happening now
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. current — electric
  9. current — of water
  10. net — after costs
  11. squash — to crush
  12. fall — to drop
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fall — the season
  15. net — for catching
  16. suit — in cards
  17. suit — clothes
  18. net — in sport
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. perch — the fish
  21. rash — a series
  22. fall — to drop
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. perch — for a bird

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