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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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. current — happening now
  2. wind — moving air
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. current — electric
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. key — the most important part
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. hand — help
  10. ball — a great time
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. hand — in cards
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. scale — size or range
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. scale — in music
  17. ball — a dance
  18. key — in music
  19. key — for a lock
  20. wind — moving air
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. racket — for tennis
  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