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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. chair — a leader
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. current — electric
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. date — the fruit
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bulb — for light
  10. craft — a skill
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. rash — hasty
  16. current — of water
  17. craft — boats
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. current — happening now
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. fan — to cool the air

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