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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pitch — completely
  5. current — happening now
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bore — to drill
  9. rock — music
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. current — electric
  12. season — in sport
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. season — of the year
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fall — the season
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. current — of water
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bore — to tire
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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