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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: toast · cell · pitch · hide · squash · current · row · clip

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — to paddle
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. toast — bread
  5. pitch — completely
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. current — of water
  8. cell — in biology
  9. current — happening now
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. cell — a phone
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. clip — to cut
  15. row — a line
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. clip — a video
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. clip — for paper
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. current — electric

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