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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. current — of water
  6. current — happening now
  7. wind — moving air
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. pop — music
  10. current — electric
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — boats
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. rash — hasty
  16. mine — for digging
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pop — to visit
  22. fork — in a road
  23. pop — soda
  24. wind — to turn a key

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