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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. swing — music
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. shower — to wash
  10. current — of water
  11. current — happening now
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — a weight
  14. sharp — clever
  15. land — to come down
  16. shower — rain
  17. land — ground
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. swing — to play on
  20. current — electric
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. swing — in golf
  24. wake — a trail

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