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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  2. current — electric
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. drill — the tool
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — an amount
  10. wake — a trail
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. pound — a weight
  15. current — happening now
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. drill — army training
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pitch — completely
  22. drill — a practice
  23. degree — from a university
  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