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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. hand — help
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. mark — a trace
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. season — in sport
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. current — electric
  11. season — of the year
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. toast — bread
  14. hand — in cards
  15. current — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. track — a path
  20. track — to keep track
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. track — a song
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mark — a grade

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