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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. current — happening now
  3. cue — a signal
  4. squash — the sport
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. club — for golf
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. squash — to crush
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. cue — for pool
  12. current — of water
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. club — a group
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — there
  19. current — electric
  20. club — for dancing
  21. cue — a hint
  22. present — a gift
  23. rash — a series
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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