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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 120 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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. chest — of your body
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. current — electric
  5. rash — hasty
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. file — a line of people
  9. chest — a box
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. fork — in a road
  12. squash — the sport
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. file — a tool
  15. squash — to crush
  16. current — of water
  17. file — a document
  18. current — happening now
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. chest — of your body
  24. fork — a garden tool

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