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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. content — the amount
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. charge — electricity
  5. drill — army training
  6. file — a line of people
  7. charge — a price
  8. file — a tool
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. cell — a phone
  12. charge — in control
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. staff — a stick
  15. drill — a practice
  16. cell — in biology
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. drill — the tool
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. file — a document
  24. content — happy

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