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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. current — happening now
  4. tube — the underground
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. current — electric
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. land — ground
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. land — a country
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. pound — a weight
  17. land — to come down
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. tube — a container
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. dip — to sink
  24. tube — in a tire

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