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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. charge — in control
  3. mug — a face
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. field — farmland
  6. charge — a price
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. charge — electricity
  10. mug — a cup
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. field — for sport
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. cold — not warm
  17. mug — to rob
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. field — a subject
  21. kick — in football
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. cold — an illness
  24. safe — out of danger

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