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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. rush — hurry
  4. current — happening now
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. toast — bread
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. current — of water
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. roll — a cake
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. roll — a list
  16. current — electric
  17. mate — a friend
  18. pop — music
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pop — to visit
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. pop — soda
  24. hide — animal skin

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