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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. content — the amount
  3. charge — electricity
  4. ground — crushed
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. spell — letters
  9. charge — in control
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. can — a tin
  12. chest — of your body
  13. ground — a position
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. can — to be able to
  16. content — happy
  17. ground — the earth
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. charge — a price
  24. can — a tin

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