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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 116 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: rule · charge · pitcher · squash · pop · current · bound · rock

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rule — government
  3. charge — a price
  4. rule — a law
  5. rock — a stone
  6. pop — soda
  7. squash — the sport
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bound — tied together
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. charge — in control
  13. pop — to visit
  14. current — electric
  15. current — happening now
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pop — music
  18. charge — electricity
  19. current — of water
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rock — music
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bound — certain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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