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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. current — electric
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. object — a thing
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. rest — a break
  10. ground — the earth
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bound — tied together
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bound — certain
  15. wind — moving air
  16. ground — a position
  17. current — happening now
  18. rest — what's left
  19. object — to protest
  20. bound — obliged
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. cap — a lid
  23. object — an aim
  24. current — of water

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