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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. hand — in cards
  4. current — happening now
  5. face — part of the head
  6. current — electric
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bat — the animal
  9. track — a song
  10. land — ground
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. track — to keep track
  14. face — to point toward
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. track — a path
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bear — the animal
  21. hand — help
  22. bear — the animal
  23. face — to confront
  24. wave — with your hand

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