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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. wind — moving air
  3. current — happening now
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. land — to come down
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. mate — to breed
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. clip — for paper
  12. current — electric
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. land — ground
  17. mate — a partner
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. clip — a video
  20. land — a country
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mate — a friend
  24. wind — moving air

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