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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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Word bank
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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: charge · hand · pit · land · wake · pound · firm · arm

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. pit — in a race
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — a company
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. land — ground
  7. pound — a weight
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. charge — electricity
  10. hand — help
  11. charge — a price
  12. land — a country
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wake — a trail
  20. charge — in control
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. land — to come down
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pit — a hole

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