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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. object — to protest
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pound — a weight
  4. charge — electricity
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. ground — a position
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. object — an aim
  10. file — a document
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. object — a thing
  13. file — a tool
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stock — goods
  16. ground — the earth
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — for paper
  21. ground — crushed
  22. charge — a price
  23. clip — a video
  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