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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. rash — hasty
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rock — a stone
  5. charge — a price
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. rock — music
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. current — of water
  12. charge — electricity
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. dip — to sink
  15. current — happening now
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. rash — a series
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. charge — in control
  21. current — electric
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. row — to paddle
  24. dip — a sauce

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