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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. file — a line of people
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. current — of water
  8. band — a music group
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. file — a tool
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. file — a document
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. squash — the sport
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. squash — to crush
  17. current — happening now
  18. cue — for pool
  19. court — for sport
  20. cue — a signal
  21. band — a ring
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  24. current — electric

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