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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 116 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. current — electric
  3. wind — moving air
  4. current — of water
  5. ground — the earth
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pit — a hole
  9. march — music
  10. wind — moving air
  11. current — happening now
  12. ground — a position
  13. march — the month
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. saw — the tool
  19. march — the month
  20. cell — a phone
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. ground — crushed
  24. cell — in biology

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