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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. spell — magic
  3. cold — an illness
  4. spell — letters
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. current — happening now
  7. rest — a break
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. current — of water
  10. roll — a cake
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — a measure
  13. current — electric
  14. rest — what's left
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. spell — a short time
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. pound — a weight
  19. rest — what's left
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. roll — a list

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