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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. current — of water
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wound — an injury
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. key — the most important part
  13. stand — to bear
  14. tube — a container
  15. wind — moving air
  16. key — for a lock
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. key — in music
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a dance
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — electric

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