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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spell — letters
  3. key — for a lock
  4. current — happening now
  5. key — in music
  6. spell — magic
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cue — for pool
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cap — a hat
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wind — moving air
  15. key — the most important part
  16. spell — a short time
  17. current — of water
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. cap — a lid
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. current — electric
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cue — a signal

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