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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — in control
  5. rule — a law
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. drill — army training
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. face — to confront
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — happy
  13. drill — a practice
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. face — to point toward
  16. drill — the tool
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — in music
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. rule — government
  21. wake — a trail
  22. face — part of the head
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. scale — for weighing

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