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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. current — of water
  5. bound — obliged
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. ball — a great time
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cold — an illness
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bound — certain
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. current — electric
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bound — tied together

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