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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. row — a line
  5. club — for golf
  6. current — electric
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. current — happening now
  9. club — a group
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. season — in sport
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — of the year
  19. club — for dancing
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. current — of water
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. row — to paddle
  24. rash — a series

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