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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. roll — a cake
  4. content — happy
  5. charge — in control
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. cell — a phone
  9. last — final
  10. cell — in biology
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. content — the amount
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. last — to go on
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. charge — electricity
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wake — a trail
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. toast — bread
  21. roll — a list
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. charge — a price
  24. roll — on a roll

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