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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. current — happening now
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. fall — the season
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. current — of water
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. current — electric
  13. ground — the earth
  14. present — there
  15. present — the time now
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. present — a gift
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. ground — a position
  21. wind — moving air
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. fall — to drop

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