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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. current — of water
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rest — a break
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. march — the month
  11. current — electric
  12. current — happening now
  13. saw — the tool
  14. march — music
  15. rest — what's left
  16. drill — the tool
  17. march — the month
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. saw — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. drill — army training
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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