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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. current — of water
  4. pound — a weight
  5. court — of a king
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bound — obliged
  8. rash — a series
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bound — tied together
  12. court — of law
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. current — happening now
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. court — for sport
  20. rash — hasty
  21. current — electric
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bound — certain

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