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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. swing — in golf
  4. content — happy
  5. hand — help
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. swing — music
  9. charge — a price
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. charge — electricity
  14. swing — to play on
  15. content — the amount
  16. ground — a position
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. ground — crushed
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. march — the month
  21. ground — the earth
  22. hand — in cards
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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