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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: rush · club · chip · lash · season · face · current · shower

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. club — a group
  4. season — of the year
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. rush — hurry
  7. face — part of the head
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. chip — for betting
  10. club — for dancing
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. current — of water
  13. face — to confront
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. current — electric
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. shower — to wash
  20. current — happening now
  21. season — in sport
  22. face — to point toward
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. shower — rain

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