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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. track — a path
  3. current — electric
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — a law
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a cup
  10. last — to go on
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mug — a face
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. current — happening now
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. current — of water
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. track — a song
  24. wind — to turn a key

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