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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. scale — in music
  3. current — of water
  4. rash — a series
  5. snap — to click
  6. current — electric
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. present — a gift
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. present — there
  13. rash — hasty
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bear — the animal
  16. face — to point toward
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. current — happening now
  19. scale — size or range
  20. present — the time now
  21. face — to confront
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — a weight
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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