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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. current — happening now
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. current — electric
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. squash — to crush
  14. kid — to tease
  15. pound — a weight
  16. kid — child
  17. current — of water
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. squash — the sport
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — to eat
  22. file — a document
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. chip — for betting

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