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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. pit — in a race
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. stem — to come from
  7. charge — electricity
  8. content — happy
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. pit — a hole
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. wind — moving air
  19. charge — a price
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wind — moving air
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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