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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. current — electric
  4. current — happening now
  5. club — a group
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — a series
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bulb — for light
  14. march — the month
  15. club — for dancing
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. club — for golf
  18. bulb — for light
  19. current — of water
  20. wind — moving air
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wind — moving air
  24. saw — the tool

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