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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 124 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. pop — to visit
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. pop — music
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. object — a thing
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. rule — government
  12. row — to paddle
  13. kick — in football
  14. current — electric
  15. rule — a law
  16. current — happening now
  17. object — to protest
  18. object — an aim
  19. row — a line
  20. craft — boats
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. current — of water
  24. pop — soda

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