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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 124 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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. can — a tin
  3. track — a song
  4. track — a path
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. current — electric
  8. can — a tin
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. spell — magic
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. current — of water
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. can — to be able to
  15. track — to keep track
  16. spell — a short time
  17. kick — in football
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. pound — a weight
  22. spell — letters
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. current — happening now

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