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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mate — a partner
  4. current — happening now
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pound — a weight
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. capital — money
  16. mate — a friend
  17. capital — a city
  18. mate — to breed
  19. current — of water
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. current — electric

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