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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. current — happening now
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. suit — clothes
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. kid — to tease
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. current — electric
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. shower — to wash
  18. current — of water
  19. suit — to fit
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. shower — rain
  22. kid — child
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bass — the instrument

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