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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chest — of your body
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. chest — a box
  6. face — to point toward
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. wind — moving air
  10. key — in music
  11. board — to get on
  12. current — of water
  13. object — to protest
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — for a lock
  17. board — a committee
  18. tube — a container
  19. current — electric
  20. chest — of your body
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — part of the head
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — an aim

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