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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. tube — the underground
  3. capital — money
  4. mark — a trace
  5. current — electric
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. capital — a city
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pound — a weight
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. current — happening now
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. tube — a container
  16. mark — a grade
  17. current — of water
  18. straw — a straw man

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