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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: bear · march · pound · charge · chest · rule

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — in control
  4. pound — a weight
  5. rule — government
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. charge — electricity
  9. march — the month
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. march — the month
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rule — a law
  16. bear — the animal
  17. march — music
  18. pound — for dogs

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