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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: wind · court · current · nail · cold · wave · spell · fine

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. court — of a king
  8. fine — all right
  9. current — electric
  10. court — for sport
  11. cold — not warm
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — letters
  14. fine — high quality
  15. current — of water
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wind — moving air
  19. court — of law
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. current — happening now
  22. cold — an illness
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. spell — a short time

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