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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. rash — a series
  4. suit — clothes
  5. cold — not warm
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. cell — a phone
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. current — of water
  12. bark — to shout
  13. suit — in cards
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. current — happening now
  16. suit — to fit
  17. craft — boats
  18. cell — in biology
  19. current — electric
  20. cold — an illness
  21. kick — in football
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. cold — the Cold War

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