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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pitch — completely
  3. wind — moving air
  4. current — happening now
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. rash — a series
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. current — of water
  12. rash — hasty
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bear — the animal
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. current — electric
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bear — the animal

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