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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
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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 · current · squash · kid · bat · mug · drill · leaves

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. squash — to crush
  5. drill — army training
  6. mug — a face
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — child
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. current — electric
  12. drill — the tool
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. cold — an illness
  16. mug — a cup
  17. current — happening now
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bat — the animal
  20. squash — the sport
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. kid — to tease
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. mug — to rob

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