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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. content — happy
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. craft — a skill
  5. charge — in control
  6. staff — employees
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pop — soda
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. pop — music
  11. present — the time now
  12. pop — to visit
  13. charge — electricity
  14. present — there
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rule — government
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. content — the amount
  19. present — a gift
  20. staff — a stick
  21. rule — a law
  22. craft — boats
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. charge — a price

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