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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. deal — to handle
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pound — a weight
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. rock — a stone
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. snap — to click
  15. game — a match
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. current — happening now
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. current — of water
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. game — wild animals
  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