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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: staff · cue · charge · pound · pop · row · chair · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. charge — electricity
  3. staff — employees
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. cue — a signal
  7. current — of water
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cue — a hint
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. cue — for pool
  12. pop — soda
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. pound — a weight
  15. chair — a leader
  16. staff — employees
  17. charge — in control
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. pop — music
  20. row — to paddle
  21. current — electric
  22. charge — a price
  23. pop — to visit
  24. row — a line

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