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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. mark — a grade
  5. face — to point toward
  6. current — of water
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. face — part of the head
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bass — the fish
  12. current — electric
  13. face — to confront
  14. current — happening now
  15. scale — size or range
  16. pound — a weight
  17. scale — in music
  18. bass — low music
  19. court — of a king
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. court — of law
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a trace
  24. cap — a hat

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