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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: roll · rush · board · squash · racket · fall · clip · current

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. fall — the season
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a list
  7. clip — a video
  8. board — a committee
  9. current — electric
  10. squash — to crush
  11. roll — a cake
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. board — to get on
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. fall — to drop
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rush — hurry
  20. squash — the sport
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — of water
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. clip — to cut

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