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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 120 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. charge — electricity
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. prune — to trim
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. charge — a price
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. content — happy
  15. content — the amount
  16. mug — a cup
  17. cue — a hint
  18. charge — in control
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cue — for pool
  22. chip — to eat
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. mug — to rob

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