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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  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. staff — a stick
  2. charge — a price
  3. mine — for digging
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — electricity
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. current — of water
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. current — electric
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. content — the amount
  19. mark — a trace
  20. branch — a division
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mark — a grade
  23. current — happening now
  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