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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. current — of water
  8. current — electric
  9. can — to be able to
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. last — finally
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. current — happening now
  17. squash — the sport
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. squash — to crush
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. last — final
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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