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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  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. charge — electricity
  2. charge — a price
  3. season — of the year
  4. chest — a box
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. fine — high quality
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pass — a permit
  11. season — in sport
  12. fine — all right
  13. charge — in control
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. kick — in football
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. content — happy
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  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