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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. toast — bread
  4. cell — a phone
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. cold — not warm
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — tied together
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. object — to protest
  13. current — electric
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. object — an aim
  17. club — for golf
  18. object — a thing
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bound — certain
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. club — a group
  24. current — happening now

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