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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. land — a country
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. land — to come down
  6. charge — electricity
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. capital — money
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. charge — a price
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. cue — a signal
  15. land — ground
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. capital — a city
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cue — a hint
  21. charge — in control
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. content — the amount
  24. cue — for pool

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