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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 120 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. current — electric
  4. current — of water
  5. current — happening now
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pound — a weight
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mark — a trace
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — a signal
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. tear — to rip
  19. wind — moving air
  20. sharp — clever
  21. tear — from crying
  22. cue — for pool
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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