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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: pass · wind · calf · race · toast · wave · current · ground

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. current — electric
  3. current — of water
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wind — moving air
  10. ground — crushed
  11. pass — a permit
  12. race — a contest
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. current — happening now
  21. toast — bread
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — humankind

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