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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. current — happening now
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. current — electric
  7. current — of water
  8. rock — music
  9. cold — an illness
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bass — low music
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bore — to tire
  17. lean — thin
  18. bass — the fish
  19. lean — to bend
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — not warm
  22. kick — in football
  23. bore — to drill
  24. rash — a series

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