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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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. object — an aim
  2. charge — in control
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. chest — of your body
  5. last — finally
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. march — the month
  8. date — the fruit
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — the underground
  11. march — music
  12. charge — a price
  13. last — to go on
  14. object — to protest
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. march — the month
  17. chest — a box
  18. charge — electricity
  19. tube — a container
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. object — a thing
  22. last — final
  23. chest — of your body
  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