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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — obliged
  7. ball — a dance
  8. field — for sport
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bass — low music
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — farmland
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. charge — a price
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bound — certain
  24. charge — in control

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