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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. charge — in control
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. chest — a box
  11. charge — electricity
  12. pit — a hole
  13. key — the most important part
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. charge — a price
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. key — in music
  21. bark — to shout
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. chest — of your body

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