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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spell — letters
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. capital — money
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. current — electric
  10. suit — in cards
  11. spell — magic
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. capital — a city
  14. suit — to fit
  15. current — happening now
  16. spell — a short time
  17. current — of water
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. rush — hurry
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. suit — clothes

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