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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. clip — a video
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. tube — a container
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — a price
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. content — happy
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. tube — the underground
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fall — to drop
  14. clip — for paper
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — a law
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. fall — the season
  19. stock — shares
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. charge — in control
  22. stock — goods
  23. fall — to drop
  24. clip — to cut

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