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

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wind — moving air
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. sharp — clever
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. current — electric
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a committee

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