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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 120 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: pound · clip · chair · charge · wave · straw · current · rule

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. charge — in control
  3. current — happening now
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. pound — a weight
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rule — a law
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — a price
  12. chair — a leader
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. current — of water
  21. current — electric
  22. clip — a video
  23. rule — government
  24. clip — for paper

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