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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. suit — clothes
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — electricity
  5. suit — to fit
  6. tear — from crying
  7. content — happy
  8. tear — to rip
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. scale — size or range
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. scale — in music
  14. charge — in control
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. track — a song
  17. tear — from crying
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. mine — for digging
  21. track — to keep track
  22. suit — in cards
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. track — a path

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