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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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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: cabinet · squash · row · current · deal · perch · cap · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. current — of water
  5. cap — a lid
  6. deal — to handle
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. squash — the sport
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. cap — of ice
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. squash — to crush
  15. current — happening now
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. row — a line
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. current — electric
  23. row — to paddle
  24. perch — the fish

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