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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. hand — help
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. current — of water
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bound — certain
  10. rash — hasty
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rash — a series
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. wind — moving air
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — to sink
  17. current — electric
  18. bound — obliged
  19. current — happening now
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bound — tied together

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