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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mug — a face
  4. chest — of your body
  5. current — happening now
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. current — electric
  8. present — the time now
  9. pound — a weight
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mug — a cup
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — there
  14. mug — to rob
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mine — for digging
  17. kid — child
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. kid — to tease
  22. last — final
  23. current — of water
  24. pound — to hit hard

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