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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. current — of water
  4. squash — to crush
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. last — to go on
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to point toward
  9. current — happening now
  10. wind — moving air
  11. swing — music
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. last — finally
  14. swing — to play on
  15. root — of a plant
  16. snap — to click
  17. squash — the sport
  18. last — final
  19. root — of a word
  20. face — to confront
  21. swing — in golf
  22. root — the cause
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. current — electric

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