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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. snap — to click
  7. club — for golf
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bore — to tire
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. content — the amount
  13. charge — in control
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for dancing
  17. content — happy
  18. bore — to drill
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. charge — electricity
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — money

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