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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 120 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: lie · pitcher · squash · race · mark · current · season · wind

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. race — humankind
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. current — happening now
  7. season — of the year
  8. mark — a grade
  9. current — electric
  10. season — in sport
  11. lie — to recline
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. squash — to crush
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. current — of water
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wind — moving air
  21. race — a contest
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. race — the arms race

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