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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: stand · bat · row · charge · current · track · wake · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. squash — to crush
  4. current — happening now
  5. track — a song
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. current — electric
  8. bat — the animal
  9. charge — electricity
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. current — of water
  12. stand — to bear
  13. row — to paddle
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. row — a line
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — a price
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. track — a path
  21. wake — a trail
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bat — for baseball

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