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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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468
Word bank
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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. key — for a lock
  3. charge — electricity
  4. sharp — clever
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. cold — not warm
  7. pit — in a race
  8. charge — in control
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. spring — of water
  11. content — the amount
  12. spring — the season
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — happy
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. spring — a coil
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. pit — a hole
  23. cold — an illness
  24. safe — out of danger

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