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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. charge — electricity
  4. date — the fruit
  5. charge — in control
  6. bat — the animal
  7. present — a gift
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. game — a match
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. present — the time now
  16. game — wild animals
  17. deal — to handle
  18. present — there
  19. charge — a price
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. pound — a weight
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. deal — an agreement

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