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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.

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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: rash · bark · clip · current · court · rest · lash · pit

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. current — of water
  3. court — of a king
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bark — to shout
  8. clip — to cut
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. clip — for paper
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. clip — a video
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. current — happening now
  17. court — for sport
  18. rest — a break
  19. rash — a series
  20. pit — a hole
  21. rash — hasty
  22. court — of law
  23. current — electric
  24. rest — what's left

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