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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. row — a line
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. current — electric
  14. bat — the animal
  15. clip — to cut
  16. rush — hurry
  17. pop — soda
  18. current — happening now
  19. clip — a video
  20. row — to paddle
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. pop — music
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. clip — for paper

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