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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. current — happening now
  4. fine — all right
  5. field — farmland
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. current — electric
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. chip — to eat
  16. fine — high quality
  17. wind — moving air
  18. current — of water
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. chip — for betting
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. lie — an untruth
  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