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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a cup
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. last — finally
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. saw — the tool
  8. current — electric
  9. roll — a list
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. last — final
  12. band — a ring
  13. mug — a face
  14. wind — moving air
  15. last — to go on
  16. saw — the tool
  17. ground — a position
  18. current — happening now
  19. ground — the earth
  20. wind — moving air
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. current — of water
  23. band — a music group
  24. roll — a cake

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