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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. current — electric
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. current — happening now
  5. wind — moving air
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a committee
  8. current — of water
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a hat
  11. wind — moving air
  12. date — the fruit
  13. ground — the earth
  14. cap — a lid
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — a line
  17. row — to paddle
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

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