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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — to protest
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. object — a thing
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. charge — in control
  10. current — happening now
  11. chest — of your body
  12. current — electric
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. squash — to crush
  15. charge — a price
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. pound — a weight
  19. saw — the tool
  20. current — of water
  21. squash — the sport
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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