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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bear — the animal
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. spring — of water
  8. key — in music
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. face — to confront
  12. key — for a lock
  13. degree — temperature
  14. spring — a coil
  15. face — part of the head
  16. cold — not warm
  17. spring — the season
  18. bear — the animal
  19. current — of water
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pound — a weight
  22. cold — an illness
  23. current — happening now
  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