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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bound — certain
  3. track — a song
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. track — to keep track
  6. current — happening now
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. face — to point toward
  9. current — electric
  10. face — part of the head
  11. track — a path
  12. wind — moving air
  13. face — to confront
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bound — tied together
  16. kid — child
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wind — moving air
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bound — obliged
  22. kid — to tease
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — a stone

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