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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. hand — in cards
  4. current — electric
  5. firm — a company
  6. current — of water
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. hand — help
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bat — the animal
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. wind — moving air
  13. firm — steady
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. firm — decided
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. current — happening now
  24. dip — to sink

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