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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. file — a line of people
  3. shower — to wash
  4. face — to confront
  5. current — of water
  6. current — electric
  7. pop — to visit
  8. face — to point toward
  9. current — happening now
  10. face — part of the head
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pop — soda
  17. file — a tool
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. board — to get on
  21. shower — rain
  22. file — a document
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. race — the arms race

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