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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bat — the animal
  5. club — for golf
  6. face — to confront
  7. can — to be able to
  8. current — of water
  9. current — happening now
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. can — a tin
  13. club — a group
  14. pound — a weight
  15. mate — to breed
  16. current — electric
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. can — a tin
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. club — for dancing
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. mate — a partner
  24. face — to point toward

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