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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. current — of water
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. spring — the season
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. key — for a lock
  10. spring — of water
  11. ground — the earth
  12. current — electric
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. key — in music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. ground — a position
  17. spring — a coil
  18. current — happening now
  19. last — to go on
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. last — final
  23. ground — crushed
  24. wind — moving air

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