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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. charge — electricity
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. club — for dancing
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bound — obliged
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bound — tied together
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. fork — in a road
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. pound — a weight
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bound — certain
  17. charge — in control
  18. club — a group
  19. charge — a price
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. club — for golf
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bat — the animal
  24. fork — a garden tool

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