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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. charge — electricity
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. charge — in control
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. land — a country
  8. capital — a city
  9. charge — a price
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. land — to come down
  12. suit — to fit
  13. capital — money
  14. row — to paddle
  15. pound — a weight
  16. row — a line
  17. content — happy
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. land — ground
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. suit — clothes
  23. suit — in cards
  24. jam — in traffic

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