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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — a weight
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. current — happening now
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bass — low music
  10. race — the arms race
  11. suit — clothes
  12. bass — the fish
  13. current — electric
  14. fall — to drop
  15. current — of water
  16. fall — the season
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — humankind
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. perch — the fish
  23. suit — to fit
  24. bass — the instrument

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