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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pound — a weight
  3. field — farmland
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — electric
  12. wound — an injury
  13. field — a subject
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — for betting
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. field — for sport
  20. shower — rain
  21. cap — a lid
  22. shower — to wash
  23. cap — a hat
  24. current — of water

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