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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. prune — to trim
  4. charge — a price
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. chest — a box
  7. content — happy
  8. land — a country
  9. prune — to trim
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — a permit
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. content — the amount
  16. chest — of your body
  17. land — to come down
  18. charge — electricity
  19. fork — in a road
  20. chip — to eat
  21. land — ground
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. charge — in control
  24. chest — of your body

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