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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bass — low music
  4. charge — a price
  5. mate — a partner
  6. charge — electricity
  7. staff — employees
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. clip — to cut
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. content — the amount
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. clip — a video
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. clip — for paper
  17. staff — employees
  18. mate — a friend
  19. content — happy
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. charge — in control
  24. mate — to breed

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