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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. current — electric
  4. wind — moving air
  5. current — happening now
  6. shower — rain
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. pop — soda
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. pop — music
  14. mark — a grade
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pop — to visit
  17. mark — a trace
  18. current — of water

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