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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. current — of water
  3. wind — moving air
  4. current — happening now
  5. spell — a short time
  6. rock — music
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. spell — magic
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rock — a stone
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. spell — letters
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. current — electric
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. ball — a dance
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wake — a trail

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