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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. roll — a list
  3. content — happy
  4. net — in sport
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — a price
  7. shower — rain
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. net — after costs
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. shower — to wash
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. net — for catching
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. roll — a cake
  20. content — the amount
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. date — the fruit
  24. racket — for tennis

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