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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. file — a document
  3. pound — a weight
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bank — of a river
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. field — farmland
  9. bank — for money
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. charge — a price
  12. row — to paddle
  13. pop — music
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. charge — electricity
  16. pop — to visit
  17. charge — in control
  18. field — a subject
  19. game — a match
  20. row — a line
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a tool
  23. field — for sport
  24. pop — soda

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