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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 · pound · shower · kid · pass · squash · scale · court

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. shower — rain
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. court — for sport
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. shower — to wash
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. kid — child
  11. scale — in music
  12. pound — a weight
  13. court — of a king
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. charge — in control
  16. kid — to tease
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. court — of law
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — to crush
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. charge — a price
  23. scale — size or range
  24. charge — electricity

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