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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. stem — to come from
  5. charge — electricity
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. content — happy
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. charge — in control
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. pass — a permit
  16. mine — for digging
  17. content — the amount
  18. charge — a price
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — for betting

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