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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. rule — a law
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. mate — to breed
  12. current — of water
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. pound — a weight
  15. current — happening now
  16. row — a line
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. rule — government
  21. wake — a trail
  22. row — to paddle
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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