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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. bound — obliged
  4. stock — shares
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. stock — goods
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. hand — in cards
  11. current — of water
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wind — moving air
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bound — certain
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. current — happening now
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. hand — help
  22. current — electric
  23. rash — hasty
  24. leaves — lets stay

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