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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: squash · nail · arm · toast · cold · current · clip · cabinet

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. current — of water
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — electric
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. clip — for paper
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. cold — not warm
  12. clip — a video
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cold — an illness
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. squash — the sport
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. clip — to cut
  23. squash — to crush
  24. nail — for a hammer

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