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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 120 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — a thing
  6. bass — low music
  7. plane — a tool
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. track — a path
  11. current — electric
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bass — the fish
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. track — to keep track
  16. current — of water
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. current — happening now
  20. object — an aim
  21. track — a song
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bound — obliged
  24. plane — an aircraft

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