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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. pound — a weight
  4. current — electric
  5. foot — a measure
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — of water
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. content — happy
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. content — the amount

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