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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. current — happening now
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. charge — electricity
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. capital — money
  8. last — to go on
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. current — electric
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. charge — a price
  16. current — of water
  17. last — finally
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. capital — a city
  21. charge — in control
  22. mark — a grade
  23. pitch — completely
  24. last — final

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