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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. game — wild animals
  3. charge — electricity
  4. current — electric
  5. charge — in control
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. game — a match
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. current — of water
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. current — happening now
  12. band — a music group
  13. spell — a short time
  14. perch — the fish
  15. band — a ring
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. spell — magic
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. charge — a price
  21. spell — letters
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. perch — for a bird

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