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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. board — a committee
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pound — a weight
  6. current — electric
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. wake — a trail
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. game — a match
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. board — to get on
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. pit — in a race
  22. current — of water
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. current — happening now

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