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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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. rule — to rule out
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. current — electric
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. wax — to grow
  6. current — of water
  7. rule — government
  8. bat — the animal
  9. fine — all right
  10. pound — a weight
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. rule — a law
  19. toast — bread
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fine — high quality
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. wind — moving air
  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