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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wake — a trail
  3. ball — a great time
  4. spell — a short time
  5. current — electric
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. chair — a leader
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. spell — magic
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. current — happening now
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. rush — hurry
  16. spell — letters
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. toast — bread
  19. current — of water
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. ball — a dance
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. wake — before a funeral

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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