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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. march — the month
  3. chest — of your body
  4. charge — a price
  5. march — the month
  6. charge — electricity
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pound — a weight
  9. chest — of your body
  10. march — music
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. chest — a box
  13. ground — the earth
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. ground — a position
  16. mug — a cup
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mug — to rob
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. mug — a face
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. ground — crushed
  23. charge — in control
  24. sharp — clever

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