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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. content — happy
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — a trail
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. charge — a price
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. cap — a hat
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. content — the amount
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. scale — size or range
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. charge — in control

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