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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: current · mug · cabinet · stand · patient · pit · charge · squash

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. current — happening now
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. current — electric
  5. mug — to rob
  6. charge — a price
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. pit — a hole
  11. stand — to bear
  12. squash — to crush
  13. charge — in control
  14. squash — the sport
  15. current — of water
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. mug — a face
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. charge — electricity

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