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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. pass — a permit
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pound — a weight
  6. scale — size or range
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. cold — not warm
  9. net — for catching
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — an illness
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. current — electric
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. current — of water
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. current — happening now
  22. net — in sport
  23. dip — to sink
  24. net — after costs

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