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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. mate — a friend
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. swing — in golf
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. current — of water
  8. current — electric
  9. rash — hasty
  10. swing — music
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. mate — a partner
  14. club — for dancing
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. rash — a series
  17. capital — money
  18. club — a group
  19. current — happening now
  20. swing — to play on
  21. capital — a city
  22. mate — to breed
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. club — for golf

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