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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. charge — in control
  3. degree — from a university
  4. cap — of ice
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. current — happening now
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. press — to push
  9. press — newspapers
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. press — a publisher
  12. charge — a price
  13. current — electric
  14. cap — a lid
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. charge — electricity
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. kick — in football
  19. degree — temperature
  20. cap — a hat
  21. rash — a series
  22. current — of water
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. degree — an amount

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