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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: squash · pound · march · game · chair · current · snap · roll

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. march — music
  3. pound — a weight
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. game — wild animals
  7. squash — to crush
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. current — of water
  11. chair — a leader
  12. current — electric
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. march — the month
  15. roll — a cake
  16. march — the month
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. squash — the sport
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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