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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. file — a line of people
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. net — for catching
  6. pound — a weight
  7. wake — a trail
  8. current — electric
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. file — a document
  16. mark — a grade
  17. current — of water
  18. file — a tool
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. mark — a trace
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wake — before a funeral

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