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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bound — certain
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. ball — a dance
  6. current — of water
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. face — part of the head
  10. current — happening now
  11. bound — tied together
  12. ground — the earth
  13. face — to point toward
  14. object — a thing
  15. ground — a position
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. object — to protest
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. current — electric
  20. face — to confront
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wind — moving air
  23. ball — a great time
  24. wind — moving air

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