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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. ground — the earth
  3. cold — an illness
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. cold — not warm
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. current — of water
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — crushed
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — electric
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. can — a tin
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. bass — the fish

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