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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. current — happening now
  4. bear — the animal
  5. current — of water
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bat — the animal
  10. land — ground
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. current — electric
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. land — a country
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. land — to come down
  20. bear — the animal
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. snap — to click
  24. plane — a tool

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