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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 116 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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. content — the amount
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. chair — a leader
  6. ground — the earth
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. hand — help
  9. ground — a position
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. charge — in control
  16. dip — to sink
  17. charge — electricity
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. ground — crushed
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. content — happy
  23. hand — in cards
  24. dip — a sauce

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