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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 116 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. current — electric
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. key — the most important part
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a committee
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. current — of water
  12. pass — a permit
  13. bat — the animal
  14. current — happening now
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. cold — an illness
  17. fall — to drop
  18. key — in music
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. cold — not warm
  22. key — for a lock
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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