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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pound — a weight
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. charge — electricity
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — goods
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stock — shares
  14. board — to get on
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — completely
  17. rule — a law
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. charge — in control
  21. charge — a price
  22. board — a committee
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. rule — government

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