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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. cold — an illness
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cold — not warm
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. current — of water
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. hand — help
  11. bank — for money
  12. pound — a weight
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bank — for money
  16. rash — hasty
  17. current — happening now
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. current — electric
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bank — of a river
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. hand — in cards
  24. kid — child

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