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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 · mark · leaves · pitcher · hand · content · rock · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — a weight
  3. content — happy
  4. content — the amount
  5. hand — in cards
  6. charge — a price
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. hand — help
  10. mark — a grade
  11. charge — in control
  12. rock — music
  13. charge — electricity
  14. mark — a trace
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rock — a stone
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. hand — part of the body

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