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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. current — happening now
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. current — of water
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. mate — a friend
  8. snap — to click
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. object — a thing
  11. file — a line of people
  12. current — electric
  13. mate — to breed
  14. object — to protest
  15. mate — a partner
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. object — an aim
  22. pound — a weight
  23. toast — bread
  24. row — to paddle

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