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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: clip · charge · date · cue · rock · pound · chest · current

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — a price
  3. clip — for paper
  4. rock — a stone
  5. charge — in control
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cue — a signal
  8. pound — a weight
  9. clip — to cut
  10. date — the fruit
  11. cue — for pool
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. clip — a video
  16. current — electric
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cue — a hint
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. chest — a box
  22. rock — music
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — of water

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