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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 120 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. land — ground
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bass — the fish
  7. land — a country
  8. root — the cause
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. land — to come down
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. clip — for paper
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. charge — a price
  16. bass — low music
  17. root — of a word
  18. board — to get on
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. clip — a video
  22. root — of a plant
  23. board — a committee
  24. pound — to hit hard

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