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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. key — in music
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bass — the fish
  11. degree — temperature
  12. rush — hurry
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. tear — from crying
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. current — happening now
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bass — low music
  22. current — electric
  23. key — the most important part
  24. current — of water

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