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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 124 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. file — a line of people
  3. court — for sport
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. craft — boats
  9. rock — a stone
  10. craft — a skill
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — of law
  14. current — of water
  15. file — a tool
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. rush — hurry
  18. squash — to crush
  19. current — electric
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. current — happening now
  24. file — a document

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