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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. current — of water
  5. pound — a weight
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. shower — to wash
  8. net — in sport
  9. date — the fruit
  10. net — for catching
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. current — electric
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — a video
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. clip — to cut
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — to bear
  21. shower — rain
  22. mate — a friend
  23. net — after costs
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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