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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. current — electric
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bulb — for light
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. rule — government
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pound — a weight
  10. current — of water
  11. bank — for money
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. degree — an amount
  16. face — part of the head
  17. degree — temperature
  18. current — happening now
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rule — a law
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bank — for money
  24. rule — to rule out

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