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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — for golf
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. current — happening now
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. current — electric
  10. file — a document
  11. last — finally
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. game — wild animals
  14. file — a tool
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. file — a line of people
  17. current — of water
  18. deal — to handle
  19. game — a match
  20. pound — a weight
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. club — a group

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