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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. cue — a hint
  3. degree — temperature
  4. cap — a lid
  5. net — in sport
  6. current — electric
  7. cap — of ice
  8. current — of water
  9. net — for catching
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cue — for pool
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. net — after costs
  16. chair — a leader
  17. game — a match
  18. cap — a hat
  19. degree — from a university
  20. current — happening now
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. cue — a signal
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. chair — to sit on

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