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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. roll — a cake
  3. spell — magic
  4. bound — obliged
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bound — certain
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. spell — letters
  9. content — happy
  10. content — the amount
  11. charge — electricity
  12. bound — tied together
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. scale — size or range
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. roll — a list
  19. tube — the underground
  20. charge — in control
  21. scale — in music
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. spell — a short time
  24. tube — a container

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