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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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. mark — a trace
  4. present — the time now
  5. spell — a short time
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — electric
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. spell — magic
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. current — of water
  17. rush — hurry
  18. present — there
  19. mark — a grade
  20. spell — letters
  21. wind — moving air
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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