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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. charge — a price
  3. current — happening now
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. current — electric
  6. chest — of your body
  7. content — happy
  8. current — of water
  9. season — in sport
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pitch — completely
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. season — of the year
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. rush — hurry
  18. charge — in control
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. net — after costs
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. net — for catching
  23. content — the amount
  24. charge — electricity

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