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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. wound — an injury
  4. charge — in control
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. charge — electricity
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. charge — a price
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. content — the amount
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pass — a permit
  17. kick — in football
  18. wound — past of 'wind'

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