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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. race — humankind
  4. wake — a trail
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. field — a subject
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. field — farmland
  9. race — the arms race
  10. rush — hurry
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — low music
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — electric
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. race — a contest
  20. current — of water
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. field — for sport

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