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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pop — soda
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. clip — for paper
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. pop — music
  11. current — of water
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. clip — a video
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. fork — in a road
  20. toast — bread
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. clip — to cut
  24. drill — army training

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