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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. fall — to drop
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — electricity
  8. mine — for digging
  9. content — the amount
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. land — a country
  16. tube — the underground
  17. charge — in control
  18. land — to come down
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. fall — the season
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. content — happy
  24. land — ground

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