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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. track — a song
  5. bound — tied together
  6. wind — moving air
  7. current — electric
  8. mate — a friend
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. current — of water
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. drill — army training
  15. bound — obliged
  16. track — a path
  17. mate — a partner
  18. track — to keep track
  19. current — happening now
  20. bound — certain
  21. mate — to breed
  22. plane — a tool
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. plane — an aircraft

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