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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 took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. current — happening now
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. current — of water
  5. chip — to eat
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — obliged
  9. land — to come down
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — to be able to
  13. chip — for betting
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. current — electric
  17. can — a tin
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. land — a country
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bound — certain
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. land — ground
  24. pound — a weight

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