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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. lean — thin
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. current — of water
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. current — electric
  8. present — a gift
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. shower — rain
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. lean — to bend
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — a weight
  17. perch — the fish
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — there
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. shower — to wash
  23. current — happening now
  24. straw — a straw man

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