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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 120 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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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: ground · game · row · current · wind · face · pass · rush

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. row — to paddle
  3. ground — crushed
  4. current — of water
  5. wind — moving air
  6. face — to confront
  7. rush — hurry
  8. face — to point toward
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. pass — a permit
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. ground — the earth
  15. face — part of the head
  16. current — happening now
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. row — a line
  19. ground — a position
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pass — to succeed
  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