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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. cue — for pool
  3. rash — hasty
  4. cue — a hint
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. drill — army training
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. current — electric
  11. rash — a series
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. race — a contest
  15. drill — the tool
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — the arms race
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. drill — a practice
  23. current — happening now
  24. cue — a signal

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