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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. cell — in biology
  4. current — of water
  5. row — a line
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. chair — a leader
  11. capital — a city
  12. rest — a break
  13. capital — money
  14. rest — what's left
  15. swing — to play on
  16. row — to paddle
  17. current — electric
  18. current — happening now
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — in golf
  21. cell — a phone
  22. rest — what's left
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. chair — to sit on

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