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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 120 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 the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. chest — of your body
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — in control
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stock — goods
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. stock — shares
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. band — a ring
  18. content — happy
  19. rush — hurry
  20. charge — a price
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. content — the amount

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