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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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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: last · pitcher · pass · charge · spell · track · pound · can

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. spell — magic
  4. charge — electricity
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. track — a song
  7. spell — a short time
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. can — a tin
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. track — to keep track
  13. last — finally
  14. pound — a weight
  15. last — to go on
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. spell — letters
  18. can — to be able to
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. charge — a price
  22. can — a tin
  23. last — final
  24. charge — in control

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