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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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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 · wave · bear · court · charge · cell · snap · can

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. can — a tin
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of law
  6. can — to be able to
  7. charge — in control
  8. cell — in biology
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. court — of a king
  15. bear — the animal
  16. charge — a price
  17. snap — to click
  18. can — a tin
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. cell — a phone
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. pound — a weight
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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