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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. march — the month
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. chip — for betting
  6. current — electric
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. row — a line
  9. march — the month
  10. current — happening now
  11. staff — employees
  12. march — music
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. current — of water
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. staff — employees
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. row — to paddle
  22. wake — a trail
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. staff — a stick

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