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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 124 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. roll — a list
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. foot — a measure
  11. current — electric
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. shower — to wash
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. current — of water
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pound — a weight
  18. current — happening now
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. roll — a cake
  23. chair — a leader
  24. wound — an injury

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