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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · charge · court · pound · bore · fall

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fall — to drop
  4. court — of law
  5. pound — a weight
  6. fall — to drop
  7. charge — electricity
  8. court — of a king
  9. fall — the season
  10. court — for sport
  11. charge — in control
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bore — to drill
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. charge — a price
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bore — to tire

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