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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bear · clip · racket · pound · mate · charge · ground · rush

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mate — to breed
  3. charge — electricity
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. ground — a position
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. charge — in control
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rush — hurry
  18. clip — a video
  19. mate — a friend
  20. clip — to cut
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. charge — a price
  24. bear — the animal

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