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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. charge — in control
  6. object — a thing
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. track — a path
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a line
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. track — to keep track
  13. content — happy
  14. track — a song
  15. object — an aim
  16. season — of the year
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. object — to protest
  22. season — in sport
  23. row — a quarrel
  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