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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pound — a weight
  3. cap — a hat
  4. current — of water
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. clip — a video
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. last — to go on
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. current — electric
  16. kick — in football
  17. cap — a lid
  18. clip — for paper
  19. last — finally
  20. can — a tin
  21. current — happening now
  22. can — to be able to
  23. clip — to cut
  24. can — a tin

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