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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: cap · bat · clip · scale · ground · charge · fork · pound

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. clip — to cut
  3. fork — in a road
  4. scale — size or range
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. cap — a hat
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. bat — the animal
  10. clip — for paper
  11. charge — a price
  12. charge — in control
  13. ground — the earth
  14. cap — of ice
  15. ground — a position
  16. cap — a lid
  17. scale — in music
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. ground — crushed
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. clip — a video
  24. scale — for weighing

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