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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. charge — a price
  3. rock — music
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. capital — a city
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. rock — a stone
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. content — happy
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — electricity
  14. wake — a trail
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. capital — money
  18. rock — to move gently

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