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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: game · pound · clip · charge · rush · coach · shower · fine

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. charge — in control
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — wild animals
  6. clip — for paper
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. game — a match
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. pound — a weight
  15. fine — high quality
  16. charge — electricity
  17. charge — a price
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. clip — to cut
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. clip — a video
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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