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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. shower — rain
  4. squash — to crush
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — a measure
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. scale — in music
  9. current — electric
  10. pound — a weight
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a tool
  13. scale — size or range
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. shower — to wash
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. squash — the sport
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. current — of water
  22. current — happening now
  23. file — a line of people
  24. sharp — clever

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