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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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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: cap · deal · cold · current · rest · rush · chest · lash

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  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. deal — an agreement
  2. chest — a box
  3. rush — hurry
  4. deal — to handle
  5. current — happening now
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cap — a lid
  12. current — electric
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. cap — a hat
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cold — an illness
  20. current — of water
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. rest — a break
  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