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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 116 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 stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. current — of water
  5. current — electric
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bass — the fish
  9. rash — a series
  10. bass — low music
  11. firm — a company
  12. mug — to rob
  13. key — the most important part
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bat — the animal
  17. mug — a cup
  18. current — happening now
  19. firm — decided
  20. mug — a face
  21. key — for a lock
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. key — in music

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