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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 116 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — a price
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. content — happy
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. charge — electricity
  7. season — of the year
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — a trace
  10. last — final
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pop — music
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. season — in sport
  18. content — the amount
  19. hand — in cards
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — to visit
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. hand — help
  24. mark — to pay attention

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