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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: sharp · fine · squash · club · snap · cabinet · wake · current

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. current — of water
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. fine — high quality
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. squash — the sport
  9. club — for dancing
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. current — electric
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. fine — all right
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. club — a group
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wake — a trail
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. current — happening now
  24. snap — to click

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