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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. pop — to visit
  5. current — happening now
  6. clip — a video
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mug — a cup
  9. wind — moving air
  10. board — a committee
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bat — the animal
  13. pop — music
  14. mug — to rob
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. clip — for paper
  17. pop — soda
  18. wind — moving air
  19. current — electric
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. clip — to cut
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. mug — a face
  24. board — to get on

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