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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: bore · current · roll · row · race · cell · squash · cue

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. cell — a phone
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. roll — a list
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bore — to tire
  7. race — the arms race
  8. squash — to crush
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. cue — for pool
  12. current — of water
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. race — a contest
  15. row — a line
  16. cell — in biology
  17. current — electric
  18. cue — a hint
  19. race — humankind
  20. current — happening now
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. row — to paddle
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bore — to drill

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