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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. capital — money
  3. content — the amount
  4. staff — employees
  5. charge — in control
  6. row — a line
  7. face — part of the head
  8. charge — a price
  9. tube — the underground
  10. craft — a skill
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. capital — a city
  13. tube — a container
  14. content — happy
  15. staff — a stick
  16. face — to point toward
  17. row — to paddle
  18. face — to confront
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. charge — electricity
  21. staff — employees
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a handicraft

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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