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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — a stone
  7. current — happening now
  8. squash — to crush
  9. club — a group
  10. game — a match
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. current — electric
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. game — wild animals
  16. club — for golf
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. current — of water
  19. wind — moving air
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. club — for dancing
  22. squash — the sport
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. game — a kind of play

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