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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. charge — in control
  3. present — a gift
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. present — there
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. mate — a friend
  9. degree — temperature
  10. mate — to breed
  11. file — a line of people
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. degree — from a university
  14. file — a tool
  15. charge — a price
  16. degree — an amount
  17. deal — to handle
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. file — a document
  20. present — the time now
  21. charge — electricity
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. sharp — clever
  24. mate — a partner

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