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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. club — for golf
  5. content — happy
  6. face — part of the head
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. rock — music
  10. pound — a weight
  11. face — to confront
  12. clip — for paper
  13. charge — in control
  14. clip — a video
  15. club — for dancing
  16. face — to point toward
  17. club — a group
  18. content — the amount
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. clip — to cut
  21. rock — a stone
  22. charge — a price
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. lash — an eyelash

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