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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bulb — for light
  8. court — for sport
  9. current — electric
  10. bulb — for light
  11. court — of a king
  12. ball — a dance
  13. snap — to click
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. court — of law
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. current — happening now
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. current — of water
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. file — a document

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