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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: game · current · rash · squash · calf · swing · cap · ground

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. ground — the earth
  4. squash — to crush
  5. swing — in golf
  6. current — electric
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. ground — crushed
  9. squash — the sport
  10. cap — a lid
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. swing — to play on
  13. game — wild animals
  14. swing — music
  15. ground — a position
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. current — of water
  18. rash — hasty
  19. current — happening now
  20. cap — of ice
  21. game — a match
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. rash — a series
  24. calf — a young animal

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