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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bound — tied together
  3. charge — in control
  4. season — in sport
  5. charge — electricity
  6. content — happy
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. charge — a price
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. swing — in golf
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. swing — to play on
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — to protest
  17. bound — obliged
  18. content — the amount
  19. swing — music
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bound — certain
  23. season — of the year
  24. wind — moving air

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