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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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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. current — happening now
  3. present — there
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. current — of water
  6. bass — the fish
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. chip — to eat
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. lie — to recline
  11. present — a gift
  12. chip — for betting
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. mug — a face
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bass — low music
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. mug — a cup
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. current — electric

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