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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: pitcher · squash · patient · dip · hide · current · cap · fine

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. current — of water
  3. fine — all right
  4. current — happening now
  5. fine — high quality
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. current — electric
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. squash — to crush
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a hat
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. cap — a lid

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