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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. current — electric
  3. current — of water
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. spring — of water
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mate — a partner
  10. pound — a weight
  11. field — farmland
  12. date — the fruit
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. spring — the season
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mate — to breed
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mate — a friend
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — to eat
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. current — happening now
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. spring — a coil

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