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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bore — to tire
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. wound — an injury
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. fine — all right
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. current — electric
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to drill
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. current — of water
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. current — happening now
  24. bowl — a football final

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