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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: cold · squash · jam · mug · last · kick · shower · current

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mug — a face
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — to wash
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. last — to go on
  8. shower — rain
  9. squash — to crush
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. mug — a cup
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. kick — in football
  14. cold — an illness
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. mug — to rob
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — not warm
  20. current — of water
  21. last — finally
  22. current — electric
  23. squash — the sport
  24. current — happening now

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