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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 116 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. cap — a hat
  3. charge — a price
  4. tear — from crying
  5. file — a document
  6. net — for catching
  7. tear — from crying
  8. swing — music
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. file — a tool
  12. swing — to play on
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — government
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — electricity
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. net — in sport
  20. cap — of ice
  21. swing — in golf
  22. tear — to rip
  23. net — after costs
  24. cap — a lid

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