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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 116 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. rush — hurry
  3. last — to go on
  4. staff — employees
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. last — finally
  7. file — a document
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. file — a tool
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. staff — employees
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. current — happening now
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. staff — a stick
  20. wake — a trail
  21. last — final
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wind — moving air
  24. current — of water

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