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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. board — to get on
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. snap — to click
  10. current — of water
  11. board — a committee
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. pop — to visit
  14. wind — moving air
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. cold — an illness
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. pop — soda
  21. current — happening now
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. current — electric

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