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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. current — happening now
  4. bat — the animal
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. file — a tool
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. current — electric
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. wind — moving air
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. current — of water
  22. file — a document
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. file — a line of people

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