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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — a grade
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. current — of water
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. current — happening now
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. current — electric
  18. dip — to sink
  19. pound — a weight
  20. tube — a container
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. hand — help
  24. pound — to hit hard

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