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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. current — happening now
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. current — of water
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — a subject
  10. rule — a law
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wind — moving air
  13. tear — to rip
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. rule — government
  16. lie — to recline
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. field — for sport
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. kick — in football
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. current — electric

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