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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. foot — a measure
  3. current — electric
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. current — happening now
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. fall — the season
  9. mark — a grade
  10. current — of water
  11. fall — to drop
  12. land — ground
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. pass — a permit
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. land — to come down
  20. wind — moving air
  21. swing — music
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. mark — a trace
  24. land — a country

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