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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. wind — moving air
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wound — an injury
  7. current — of water
  8. track — to keep track
  9. wind — moving air
  10. march — the month
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. plane — a tool
  15. march — the month
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a city
  18. march — music
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — electric
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. track — a path
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. wound — an injury

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