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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. net — for catching
  3. current — happening now
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cell — a phone
  8. root — of a word
  9. cell — in biology
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. current — of water
  15. root — of a plant
  16. pound — a weight
  17. root — the cause
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. net — in sport
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. game — a match
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. current — electric
  24. net — after costs

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