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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 116 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. lean — thin
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pound — a weight
  6. kid — child
  7. lean — to bend
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pit — a hole
  10. board — to get on
  11. current — electric
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. fall — the season
  20. current — of water
  21. bat — the animal
  22. board — a committee
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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