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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: club · wind · rule · bay · face · bulb · current · last

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. last — finally
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to confront
  6. club — a group
  7. current — happening now
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. bulb — for light
  11. last — to go on
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. last — final
  14. wind — moving air
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. wind — moving air
  20. current — of water
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — government
  23. club — for golf
  24. current — electric

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