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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. present — the time now
  4. current — of water
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. drill — army training
  10. current — electric
  11. key — in music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bass — the fish
  15. key — for a lock
  16. wake — a trail
  17. present — there
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. drill — the tool
  20. current — happening now
  21. wind — moving air
  22. drill — a practice
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bass — low music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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