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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. spell — magic
  3. staff — employees
  4. spell — a short time
  5. charge — a price
  6. content — the amount
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. staff — a stick
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pit — a hole
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — to bend
  15. content — happy
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lean — thin
  21. spell — letters
  22. charge — in control
  23. clip — a video
  24. charge — electricity

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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