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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's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. current — of water
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — a weight
  5. face — to point toward
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pitch — completely
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — for pool
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. face — part of the head
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. band — a ring
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. cue — a signal
  18. current — happening now
  19. band — a music group
  20. face — to confront
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. current — electric
  24. band — a rubber band

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