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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. current — electric
  7. wake — a trail
  8. land — a country
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — ground
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. current — of water
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. current — happening now
  24. wave — with your hand

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