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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rest — a break
  3. scale — size or range
  4. current — happening now
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. club — for dancing
  8. pop — soda
  9. rest — what's left
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. pop — music
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. pop — to visit
  17. rest — what's left
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. club — for golf
  21. current — of water
  22. scale — in music
  23. club — a group
  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