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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — electricity
  4. kid — child
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. charge — a price
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. row — a line
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. craft — boats
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. pitch — completely

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