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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. kid — to tease
  4. current — of water
  5. roll — a cake
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. degree — an amount
  9. content — happy
  10. charge — a price
  11. roll — a list
  12. lie — to recline
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. kid — child
  16. charge — electricity
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. current — electric
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. current — happening now
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. content — the amount
  24. pitcher — a jug

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