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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. current — of water
  3. wind — moving air
  4. land — ground
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. land — a country
  7. fine — all right
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. wind — moving air
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. wake — a trail
  15. land — to come down
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. current — happening now
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. current — electric
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. fine — a penalty

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