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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. charge — in control
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bear — the animal
  5. content — the amount
  6. bear — the animal
  7. court — of law
  8. charge — a price
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — for sport
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. file — a tool
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. file — a line of people
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — thin
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. file — a document
  22. content — happy
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. content — videos and posts

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