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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 116 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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pitch — completely
  4. object — to protest
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. staff — employees
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. object — a thing
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. bat — the animal
  13. staff — employees
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. current — electric
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. current — happening now
  21. object — an aim
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. staff — a stick
  24. current — of water

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