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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. charge — electricity
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. content — happy
  7. cold — not warm
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. charge — a price
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. charge — in control
  14. current — of water
  15. cold — an illness
  16. current — happening now
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. land — ground
  20. current — electric
  21. land — a country
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. land — to come down

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