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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  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. bound — obliged
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. swing — in golf
  8. current — happening now
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rest — a break
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — hurry
  14. face — to point toward
  15. current — electric
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. face — part of the head
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — music
  21. bound — certain
  22. face — to confront
  23. rest — what's left
  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