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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. hand — help
  4. charge — a price
  5. clip — a video
  6. hand — in cards
  7. mate — a partner
  8. stand — to bear
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. mate — a friend
  13. charge — in control
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. clip — for paper
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. charge — electricity
  19. mate — to breed
  20. clip — to cut
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — for dogs

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