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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — a grade
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. kid — child
  7. current — electric
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pit — in a race
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fall — to drop
  16. kid — to tease
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. fall — the season
  21. current — of water
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pound — a weight
  24. current — happening now

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