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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. suit — to fit
  4. mine — for digging
  5. board — to get on
  6. current — electric
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. current — happening now
  9. suit — clothes
  10. net — in sport
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pound — a weight
  13. track — a song
  14. current — of water
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. board — a committee
  19. content — the amount
  20. net — after costs
  21. content — happy
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. track — a path
  24. net — for catching

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