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

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. drill — army training
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. charge — in control
  6. lean — thin
  7. season — of the year
  8. game — a match
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. drill — the tool
  14. charge — a price
  15. game — wild animals
  16. drill — a practice
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. content — the amount
  19. chair — a leader
  20. content — happy
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. charge — electricity
  23. season — in sport
  24. chair — a professorship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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