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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 124 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. hand — help
  3. band — a music group
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a ring
  7. cell — a phone
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. cell — in biology
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. current — electric
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. board — to get on
  16. current — happening now
  17. wind — moving air
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — the fruit
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wind — moving air

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