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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. charge — in control
  3. chip — to eat
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. roll — a cake
  6. content — the amount
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a city
  12. chip — for betting
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. craft — boats
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. roll — a list
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. charge — a price
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. craft — a skill
  23. charge — electricity
  24. content — videos and posts

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