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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. mate — a partner
  3. current — of water
  4. mug — a face
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — electric
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. mate — to breed
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. mug — a cup
  15. pound — a weight
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — of ice
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. chip — to eat
  24. cap — a hat

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