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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: toast · arm · saw · lash · pitcher · rule · current · content

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. content — the amount
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — of water
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. current — electric
  13. toast — bread
  14. saw — the tool
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. saw — the tool
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. rule — government
  19. content — happy
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rule — a law
  24. lash — to lash 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