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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — a weight
  3. current — happening now
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bat — the animal
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. current — of water
  13. bass — the fish
  14. degree — from a university
  15. current — electric
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mark — a grade
  20. tear — to rip
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bass — low music
  23. chair — a leader
  24. mark — to pay attention

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