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

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wind — moving air
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. pound — a weight
  9. degree — from a university
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. degree — an amount
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — of water
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. degree — temperature
  18. wind — moving air
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. current — electric
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. tube — the underground

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