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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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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. pitch — completely
  4. charge — in control
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. charge — a price
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. cell — in biology
  9. game — wild animals
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. charge — electricity
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. game — a match
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. content — the amount
  20. kid — child
  21. content — happy
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — to tease

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