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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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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. club — for golf
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. content — happy
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. pit — a hole
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pit — in a race
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — in control
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. club — a group
  18. content — the amount
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. charge — electricity
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. band — a music group
  23. cold — not warm
  24. club — for dancing

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