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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. band — a ring
  3. can — a tin
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. charge — electricity
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. wake — a trail
  8. charge — in control
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. can — a tin
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. charge — a price
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. can — to be able to
  22. content — the amount
  23. band — a music group
  24. patient — a sick person

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