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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  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. pound — for dogs
  2. kick — in football
  3. snap — to click
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. spring — the season
  7. current — happening now
  8. pound — a weight
  9. rush — hurry
  10. degree — an amount
  11. current — electric
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. degree — from a university
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. spring — of water
  18. stand — to bear
  19. current — of water
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. degree — temperature
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. kick — a thrill
  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