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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. wind — moving air
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. current — happening now
  5. drill — army training
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. band — a ring
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. current — electric
  12. drill — the tool
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. current — of water
  15. object — a thing
  16. band — a music group
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — a signal
  22. object — an aim
  23. pitch — completely
  24. object — to protest

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