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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 120 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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. current — happening now
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. current — electric
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. chest — a box
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. wound — an injury
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  24. bat — in an idiom

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