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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: file · squash · net · charge · current · drill · cap · band

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. file — a line of people
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — of ice
  5. charge — a price
  6. file — a tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. net — in sport
  9. file — a document
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. current — happening now
  12. squash — the sport
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. drill — the tool
  15. charge — in control
  16. net — for catching
  17. current — of water
  18. net — after costs
  19. current — electric
  20. charge — electricity
  21. drill — army training
  22. cap — a lid
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a music group

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