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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. face — to confront
  3. field — for sport
  4. current — of water
  5. current — electric
  6. field — farmland
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. swing — music
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mate — a friend
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. swing — to play on
  18. mate — to breed
  19. field — a subject
  20. mine — for digging
  21. swing — in golf
  22. face — to point toward
  23. wind — moving air
  24. current — happening now

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