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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: perch · snap · rule · current · row · sharp · rock · squash

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. rule — a law
  3. row — a line
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. snap — to click
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. rock — a stone
  10. sharp — clever
  11. rule — government
  12. squash — to crush
  13. current — electric
  14. squash — the sport
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rock — music
  18. row — to paddle
  19. current — of water
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. perch — the fish

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