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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. can — a tin
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. kid — to tease
  6. charge — in control
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. row — a line
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. can — to be able to
  14. content — the amount
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. charge — a price
  18. kid — child
  19. can — a tin
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. charge — electricity
  22. content — happy
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. row — to paddle

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