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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bulb — for light
  3. track — a song
  4. club — for golf
  5. current — electric
  6. current — happening now
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. club — for dancing
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. current — of water
  11. club — a group
  12. rest — a break
  13. track — to keep track
  14. row — a line
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. shower — to wash
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bulb — for light
  23. track — a path
  24. shower — rain

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