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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bound — certain
  4. ball — a great time
  5. rush — hurry
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bound — obliged
  9. plane — a tool
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. bound — tied together
  18. current — electric
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bass — low music
  23. current — of water
  24. current — happening now

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