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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. suit — clothes
  3. current — happening now
  4. chest — of your body
  5. current — electric
  6. shower — rain
  7. chest — a box
  8. ball — a great time
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. current — of water
  12. suit — in cards
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. suit — to fit
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. chest — of your body
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. shower — to wash
  24. trunk — of a tree

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