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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. track — a path
  3. cap — of ice
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. game — a match
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. cap — a lid
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. track — to keep track
  11. game — wild animals
  12. chair — a leader
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. track — a song
  15. charge — a price
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. charge — in control
  18. cap — a hat
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. pound — a weight

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