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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. current — electric
  4. wake — a trail
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. band — a music group
  10. object — a thing
  11. current — of water
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — an aim
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. kid — to tease
  18. band — a ring
  19. kid — child
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. current — happening now
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. arm — a part of something

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