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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: pound · hand · sharp · wave · mouse · court · ground · charge

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. court — for sport
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. court — of a king
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. court — of law
  10. pound — a weight
  11. ground — a position
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. sharp — clever
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — a price
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. hand — in cards
  18. charge — in control
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. hand — help

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