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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 116 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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. field — for sport
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. current — electric
  8. swing — music
  9. pound — a weight
  10. swing — in golf
  11. current — of water
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mate — a partner
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. fall — the season
  16. swing — to play on
  17. field — a subject
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. field — farmland
  22. current — happening now
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. nail — on a finger

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