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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: club · march · lash · chair · current · rush · net · race

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. club — for golf
  3. current — happening now
  4. march — the month
  5. net — after costs
  6. race — humankind
  7. current — of water
  8. current — electric
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. chair — a leader
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. race — a contest
  13. net — in sport
  14. club — for dancing
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. march — the month
  17. race — the arms race
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. march — music
  21. club — a group
  22. rush — hurry
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. chair — to sit on

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