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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wind — moving air
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. track — to keep track
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. mark — a grade
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. track — a path
  14. pass — a permit
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — electric
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. current — of water
  23. track — a song
  24. perch — the fish

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