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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. current — electric
  4. pound — a weight
  5. tube — a container
  6. bark — to shout
  7. game — a match
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. current — of water
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. tube — the underground
  19. cell — a phone
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. current — happening now
  24. game — a kind of play

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