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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. ground — the earth
  3. hand — in cards
  4. cue — a signal
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rest — a break
  8. tube — a container
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — for pool
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bore — to tire
  13. ground — crushed
  14. rest — what's left
  15. current — of water
  16. tube — the underground
  17. pound — a weight
  18. current — electric
  19. bore — to drill
  20. ground — a position
  21. rest — what's left
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. current — happening now

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