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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. object — to protest
  4. fall — to drop
  5. object — an aim
  6. fall — the season
  7. current — of water
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. kid — child
  11. object — a thing
  12. current — electric
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. pound — a weight
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. current — happening now
  24. fall — to drop

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