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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. charge — a price
  4. mine — for digging
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pound — a weight
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. kid — to tease
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. track — a path
  12. track — a song
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. prune — to trim
  18. march — the month
  19. charge — electricity
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. kid — child
  24. track — to keep track

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