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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. current — electric
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. pound — a weight
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. fine — all right
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. current — of water
  13. current — happening now
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. spring — the season
  18. fine — high quality
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. mine — for digging
  22. spring — of water
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — in an idiom

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