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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. capital — a city
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. file — a line of people
  5. current — electric
  6. current — of water
  7. stand — to bear
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. file — a document
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — a line
  15. file — a tool
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. row — to paddle
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. capital — money
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. current — happening now

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