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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  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. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. game — a match
  4. current — of water
  5. fall — the season
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. current — electric
  8. game — wild animals
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fall — to drop
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pound — a weight
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. fall — to drop
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. shower — rain
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. current — happening now
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pound — for dogs
  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