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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. fine — all right
  4. pitch — completely
  5. last — final
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — a weight
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. rock — a stone
  12. current — electric
  13. last — finally
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. current — of water
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. current — happening now
  19. fine — high quality
  20. cell — a phone
  21. last — to go on
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. cell — in biology
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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