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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. mug — to rob
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mug — a face
  11. kid — to tease
  12. mine — for digging
  13. current — electric
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — a weight
  17. current — happening now
  18. date — the fruit
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wind — moving air
  22. perch — the fish
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mine — belonging to me

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