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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · rule · chair · lash · rush · current · bark · kid

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. current — happening now
  7. file — a tool
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bark — to shout
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. kid — to tease
  12. current — of water
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rule — government
  18. current — electric
  19. rule — a law
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. kid — child
  23. file — a line of people
  24. rule — to rule out

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