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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. spring — of water
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. pound — a weight
  5. current — happening now
  6. spring — the season
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. current — electric
  14. roll — a cake
  15. current — of water
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. fine — all right
  18. pass — a permit
  19. shower — rain
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. roll — a list
  24. spring — a coil

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