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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. current — electric
  4. mug — a face
  5. rest — what's left
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cell — in biology
  8. rush — hurry
  9. spring — the season
  10. current — happening now
  11. spring — of water
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cell — a phone
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mug — to rob
  21. spring — a coil
  22. rest — a break
  23. current — of water
  24. hand — in cards

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