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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bear — the animal
  8. key — for a lock
  9. last — to go on
  10. bear — the animal
  11. dip — to sink
  12. current — of water
  13. key — in music
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. current — electric
  18. bat — the animal
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. current — happening now
  24. bat — in an idiom

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