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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: nail · wind · current · ball · cold · wave · perch · pit

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. current — happening now
  6. cold — not warm
  7. wind — moving air
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cold — an illness
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. pit — a hole
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. current — of water
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. pit — in a race
  21. current — electric
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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