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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. net — in sport
  3. lean — thin
  4. net — for catching
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. lean — to bend
  7. face — to confront
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. pound — a weight
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. current — of water
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. net — after costs
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. tear — from crying
  20. current — happening now
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. current — electric
  24. pitcher — a jug

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