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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. current — of water
  3. last — final
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. rule — government
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. last — finally
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. ground — the earth
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. last — to go on
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — crushed
  17. current — happening now
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. rule — a law
  21. current — electric
  22. dip — to sink
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. lash — an eyelash

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