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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. current — happening now
  4. wind — moving air
  5. current — electric
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. board — to get on
  8. clip — to cut
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. last — finally
  13. board — a committee
  14. wind — moving air
  15. chip — to eat
  16. pit — in a race
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. pit — a hole
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. clip — a video
  21. chip — for betting
  22. last — to go on
  23. current — of water
  24. last — final

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