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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 120 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. current — electric
  3. pound — a weight
  4. chest — of your body
  5. band — a music group
  6. track — a path
  7. object — to protest
  8. track — a song
  9. scale — in music
  10. current — happening now
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. track — to keep track
  13. current — of water
  14. scale — size or range
  15. chest — of your body
  16. band — a ring
  17. object — an aim
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. rush — hurry
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. chest — a box

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