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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. last — final
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. wake — a trail
  6. charge — in control
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. last — to go on
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. charge — electricity
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. squash — the sport
  13. current — of water
  14. charge — a price
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. current — electric
  17. pound — a weight
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. last — finally
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. current — happening now
  23. squash — to crush
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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