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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. current — of water
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. current — electric
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. face — part of the head
  7. rash — a series
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. wound — an injury
  12. face — to confront
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. deal — to handle
  15. face — to point toward
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — a partner
  18. current — happening now
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rash — hasty
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rash — on the skin

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