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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. charge — electricity
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. cell — in biology
  9. charge — a price
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pound — a weight
  12. fork — in a road
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. cell — a phone
  15. charge — in control
  16. march — the month
  17. chip — for betting
  18. fork — to eat with

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