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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. charge — electricity
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. scale — in music
  9. pound — a weight
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. kid — child
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a hole
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. charge — in control
  22. staff — employees
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. scale — size or range

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