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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. current — of water
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. fork — in a road
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. pound — a weight
  11. wound — an injury
  12. current — happening now
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. march — music
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. march — the month
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. march — the month
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. current — electric
  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