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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. current — happening now
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bat — the animal
  9. pound — a weight
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. current — electric
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. stock — goods
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. tear — to rip
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rash — a series
  21. stock — shares
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. current — of water

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