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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 116 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bass — low music
  5. current — happening now
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bass — the fish
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rule — a law
  13. rush — hurry
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — for pool
  16. field — a subject
  17. hand — help
  18. current — of water
  19. field — for sport
  20. rule — government
  21. current — electric
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. rush — a thrill

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