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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rash — a series
  5. cell — in biology
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. cell — a phone
  8. net — for catching
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. current — electric
  13. rash — hasty
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. net — in sport
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. current — of water
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. net — after costs
  23. current — happening now
  24. fork — in a road

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