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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. current — electric
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bark — to shout
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rash — a series
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rash — hasty
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. fine — high quality
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a hole
  19. date — the fruit
  20. fine — all right
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. current — of water
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. current — happening now

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