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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. current — electric
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. swing — to play on
  8. season — of the year
  9. drill — army training
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bore — to tire
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bore — to drill
  15. current — of water
  16. season — in sport
  17. current — happening now
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. drill — a practice
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in golf

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