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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. march — the month
  3. current — of water
  4. saw — the tool
  5. march — music
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. march — the month
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. squash — the sport
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rash — hasty
  16. current — happening now
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — completely
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. saw — the tool
  23. current — electric
  24. squash — to crush

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