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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. current — electric
  4. current — of water
  5. race — a contest
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. pop — to visit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. rush — hurry
  11. race — the arms race
  12. pop — soda
  13. race — humankind
  14. current — happening now
  15. content — happy
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. content — the amount
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pop — music

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