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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rush — hurry
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. content — happy
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. spring — the season
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. spring — of water
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. charge — in control
  13. content — the amount
  14. charge — electricity
  15. cell — in biology
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. cell — a phone
  20. charge — a price
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — help
  24. fan — a supporter

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