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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. content — the amount
  3. charge — electricity
  4. row — a line
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. row — to paddle
  7. cell — a phone
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — in control
  10. cell — in biology
  11. march — music
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — happy
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. hand — help
  18. firm — decided
  19. march — the month
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. march — the month
  22. firm — a company
  23. firm — steady
  24. mouse — the animal

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