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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. charge — in control
  3. clip — for paper
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. clip — to cut
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. pitch — completely
  8. charge — electricity
  9. kick — in football
  10. bass — low music
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. track — a path
  13. bass — the fish
  14. clip — a video
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. toast — bread
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. charge — a price
  24. content — the amount

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