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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. scale — in music
  3. bore — to tire
  4. charge — electricity
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. charge — in control
  8. content — happy
  9. chip — to eat
  10. season — in sport
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bore — to drill
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. content — the amount
  19. bass — low music
  20. charge — a price
  21. scale — size or range
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. chip — for betting

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