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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. content — happy
  3. charge — in control
  4. content — the amount
  5. bore — to drill
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a trace
  11. charge — a price
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. chair — a leader
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cold — not warm
  20. charge — electricity
  21. cold — an illness
  22. mark — a grade
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bore — to tire

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