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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 116 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. content — happy
  3. charge — in control
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. pass — a permit
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — electricity
  10. drill — army training
  11. deal — to handle
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. content — the amount
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cell — in biology
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — a phone
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. prune — to trim
  24. drill — the 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