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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 · last · dip · firm · file · season · squash · clip

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — decided
  3. dip — to sink
  4. current — electric
  5. season — in sport
  6. last — to go on
  7. file — a line of people
  8. season — of the year
  9. current — of water
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. file — a document
  12. clip — for paper
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. last — finally
  15. file — a tool
  16. squash — the sport
  17. clip — a video
  18. squash — to crush
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. current — happening now
  21. clip — to cut
  22. last — final
  23. firm — steady
  24. dip — to dunk

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