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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 116 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. land — to come down
  3. pop — music
  4. current — happening now
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. land — a country
  7. row — a line
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — to eat
  10. land — ground
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pop — soda
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. current — electric
  17. current — of water
  18. pound — a weight
  19. prune — to trim
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pop — to visit

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