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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. chair — to sit on
  2. pop — music
  3. scale — in music
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. charge — a price
  6. swing — to play on
  7. chair — a leader
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pop — soda
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. content — happy
  12. charge — in control
  13. content — the amount
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. swing — music
  17. cell — a phone
  18. scale — size or range
  19. charge — electricity
  20. cell — in biology
  21. pop — to visit
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. swing — in golf
  24. chair — a professorship

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