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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. fall — the season
  3. rest — what's left
  4. current — happening now
  5. last — finally
  6. rest — a break
  7. current — electric
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wake — a trail
  11. row — a line
  12. squash — to crush
  13. current — of water
  14. fall — to drop
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. last — final
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. row — to paddle
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wind — moving air
  23. squash — the sport
  24. last — to go on

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