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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. charge — a price
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. date — the fruit
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. shower — rain
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bass — the fish
  15. charge — in control
  16. staff — a stick
  17. roll — a cake
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. charge — electricity
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. roll — a list

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