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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 124 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  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. ground — a position
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cue — a hint
  4. current — of water
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. chest — a box
  9. can — a tin
  10. cue — a signal
  11. can — to be able to
  12. chest — of your body
  13. can — a tin
  14. ground — crushed
  15. pound — a weight
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. cue — for pool
  19. rule — a law
  20. current — happening now
  21. rule — government
  22. current — electric
  23. ground — the earth
  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