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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: rest · game · lash · kick · bass · pop · rush · current

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bass — low music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — soda
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. game — a match
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. bass — the fish
  10. rush — hurry
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. pop — music
  13. current — of water
  14. rest — what's left
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. rest — what's left
  22. current — happening now
  23. rest — a break
  24. current — electric

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