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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: saw · current · pit · firm · bulb · straw · squash · cold

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. firm — steady
  3. firm — decided
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pit — a hole
  6. cold — not warm
  7. pit — in a race
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — an illness
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. firm — a company
  16. squash — the sport
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. saw — the tool
  19. current — of water
  20. squash — to crush
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. current — electric
  24. bulb — of a plant

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