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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — electricity
  4. chest — a box
  5. content — the amount
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. charge — a price
  16. chest — of your body
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. staff — a stick
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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