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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 116 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. charge — a price
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. shower — rain
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. current — of water
  7. hand — in cards
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. hand — help
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. charge — electricity
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — of water
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. current — electric
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. charge — in control
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. current — happening now
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. lash — an eyelash

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