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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. charge — a price
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. staff — employees
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bound — tied together
  7. content — the amount
  8. bound — certain
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. staff — a stick
  13. charge — electricity
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. charge — in control
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. snap — to click
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bound — obliged
  24. staff — employees

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