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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. cell — in biology
  5. current — of water
  6. deal — to handle
  7. fall — to drop
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. game — wild animals
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cell — a phone
  14. dip — to sink
  15. band — a ring
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. current — happening now
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. band — a music group
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. fall — the season
  24. current — electric

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