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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — the amount
  3. charge — in control
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. craft — boats
  7. charge — electricity
  8. file — a line of people
  9. squash — the sport
  10. file — a document
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. wind — moving air
  13. race — humankind
  14. squash — to crush
  15. race — a contest
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. race — the arms race
  18. pound — a weight
  19. wind — moving air
  20. content — happy
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. craft — a skill
  23. charge — a price
  24. file — a tool

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