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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.

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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. wind — moving air
  4. last — to go on
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. last — final
  7. wind — moving air
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. last — finally
  10. current — electric
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. rock — music
  14. rash — a series
  15. current — happening now
  16. mug — to rob
  17. current — of water
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. mug — a cup
  21. rock — a stone
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mug — a face

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