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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  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. charge — electricity
  3. key — the most important part
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a line of people
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. key — for a lock
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. shower — to wash
  10. tear — from crying
  11. charge — in control
  12. band — a music group
  13. tear — to rip
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. charge — a price
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. key — in music
  19. file — a tool
  20. shower — rain
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a ring
  23. tear — from crying
  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