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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 120 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. current — of water
  4. chest — a box
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. cap — of ice
  8. current — electric
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cap — a lid
  12. rash — a series
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. cap — a hat
  15. current — happening now
  16. board — a committee
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rush — hurry
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. board — to get on
  22. chest — of your body
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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