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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. suit — in cards
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. charge — in control
  6. charge — a price
  7. clip — a video
  8. content — the amount
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. kid — to tease
  14. suit — clothes
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. clip — for paper
  18. kid — child
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. clip — to cut
  22. suit — to fit
  23. charge — electricity
  24. content — happy

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