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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. rash — a series
  3. hand — in cards
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rash — hasty
  7. current — of water
  8. current — electric
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. march — the month
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. snap — to click
  13. hand — help
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. march — the month
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. current — happening now
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — hurry
  24. march — music

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