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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. content — the amount
  4. charge — in control
  5. net — for catching
  6. track — a path
  7. content — happy
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. track — a song
  10. fine — all right
  11. charge — electricity
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. track — to keep track
  14. net — after costs
  15. cue — for pool
  16. net — in sport
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cue — a signal
  19. bound — certain
  20. cue — a hint
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bound — tied together
  24. charge — a price

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