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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pop — music
  3. charge — a price
  4. swing — in golf
  5. land — ground
  6. rule — government
  7. charge — electricity
  8. land — to come down
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — finally
  11. pop — to visit
  12. swing — music
  13. pop — soda
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. scale — in music
  17. last — final
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. scale — size or range
  21. swing — to play on
  22. land — a country
  23. charge — in control
  24. rule — a law

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