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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. stock — goods
  7. face — to confront
  8. march — the month
  9. wind — moving air
  10. current — electric
  11. march — music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. face — part of the head
  17. stock — shares
  18. face — to point toward
  19. wind — moving air
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. march — the month
  22. bass — low music
  23. wake — a trail
  24. current — happening now

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