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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bound — tied together
  4. current — electric
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. fall — to drop
  13. current — happening now
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. ball — a dance
  16. court — for sport
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. fall — the season
  20. bound — obliged
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bound — certain
  24. ball — a round shape

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