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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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. content — happy
  3. charge — electricity
  4. staff — employees
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. staff — a stick
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. charge — a price
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. staff — employees
  13. ground — crushed
  14. land — to come down
  15. ground — the earth
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. charge — in control
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ground — a position
  22. bulb — for light
  23. content — the amount
  24. wave — with your hand

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