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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bound — certain
  6. current — happening now
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. land — to come down
  9. club — for dancing
  10. fine — all right
  11. bound — obliged
  12. sharp — clever
  13. wind — moving air
  14. current — of water
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bound — tied together
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — to grow
  21. club — a group
  22. current — electric
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. club — for golf

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