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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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 — on the skin
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — music
  5. current — of water
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rule — a law
  8. mine — for digging
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. track — to keep track
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wind — moving air
  14. current — happening now
  15. rule — government
  16. current — electric
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. track — a path
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. track — a song
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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