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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. row — to paddle
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — a hat
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. current — of water
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — a line
  11. current — electric
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bound — certain
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bound — obliged
  16. rash — a series
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. current — happening now
  19. bound — tied together
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pound — a weight
  24. rash — hasty

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