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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: stick · lash · date · current · net · present · rush · fall

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. net — for catching
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — there
  9. present — the time now
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. current — of water
  21. current — electric
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. current — happening now

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