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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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. chip — to eat
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. club — for golf
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. field — farmland
  8. current — electric
  9. wind — moving air
  10. field — for sport
  11. club — for dancing
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. chip — for betting
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. club — a group
  24. field — a subject

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