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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. current — happening now
  5. court — for sport
  6. tube — a container
  7. pound — a weight
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. court — of law
  10. scale — size or range
  11. tear — to rip
  12. scale — in music
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. tear — from crying
  15. current — electric
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. tear — from crying
  20. saw — the tool
  21. current — of water
  22. court — of a king
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pound — to hit hard

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