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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. cell — a phone
  3. current — of water
  4. fall — the season
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. drill — army training
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. drill — the tool
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — the time now
  14. lie — to recline
  15. current — happening now
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. present — there
  19. cell — in biology
  20. fall — to drop
  21. drill — a practice
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. current — electric
  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