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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. wind — moving air
  3. land — a country
  4. wake — a trail
  5. object — an aim
  6. land — to come down
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cue — for pool
  12. current — electric
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. cue — a hint
  15. game — a match
  16. cue — a signal
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. land — ground
  19. object — to protest
  20. wind — moving air
  21. current — happening now
  22. object — a thing
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a kind of play

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