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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. charge — a price
  3. tear — to rip
  4. charge — in control
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. land — ground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. land — a country
  10. charge — electricity
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. tube — the underground
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. content — happy
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — the amount
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pass — a permit
  23. land — to come down
  24. pass — to spend time

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