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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fine — all right
  3. kid — child
  4. charge — electricity
  5. face — to point toward
  6. charge — in control
  7. content — happy
  8. content — the amount
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. kid — to tease
  11. fine — high quality
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to confront
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. charge — a price
  24. fine — a penalty

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