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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. clip — for paper
  4. current — of water
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. current — electric
  10. shower — rain
  11. pound — a weight
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. cell — in biology
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. ground — a position
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — to cut
  20. cell — a phone
  21. craft — a skill
  22. current — happening now
  23. craft — boats
  24. shower — to wash

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