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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. cold — an illness
  3. club — for dancing
  4. track — a song
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. current — happening now
  7. club — a group
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. current — electric
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. rule — government
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. club — for golf
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. kid — to tease
  18. track — to keep track
  19. current — of water
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rule — a law
  23. track — a path
  24. kid — child

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