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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. staff — a stick
  3. club — a group
  4. clip — a video
  5. rash — hasty
  6. clip — to cut
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. suit — clothes
  10. staff — employees
  11. current — electric
  12. suit — to fit
  13. last — to go on
  14. suit — in cards
  15. last — final
  16. last — finally
  17. club — for golf
  18. clip — for paper
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rock — music
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — of water
  23. club — for dancing
  24. staff — employees

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