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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. current — electric
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rash — a series
  8. bass — the fish
  9. current — happening now
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bore — to tire
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bass — low music
  16. mug — to rob
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. current — of water
  22. bat — the animal
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bore — gave birth

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