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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 124 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. hand — help
  6. lie — to recline
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. current — electric
  9. wake — a trail
  10. cue — for pool
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. kid — child
  13. current — happening now
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cue — a signal
  16. current — of water
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. rash — hasty
  20. ground — a position
  21. cue — a hint
  22. hand — in cards
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — crushed

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