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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: last · bear · rest · pound · present · snap · charge · game

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. 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. charge — electricity
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — a price
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bear — the animal
  6. present — a gift
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. present — the time now
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — final
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. rest — a break
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. present — there
  17. rest — what's left
  18. snap — to click
  19. last — finally
  20. game — wild animals
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. game — a match
  24. 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