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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pop — to visit
  4. clip — a video
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pop — music
  7. current — of water
  8. pop — soda
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. current — happening now
  17. fall — to drop
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. clip — to cut
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. clip — for paper
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. safe — out of danger
  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