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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. cell — a phone
  5. mate — a partner
  6. content — the amount
  7. mate — to breed
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. content — happy
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. charge — electricity
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — hurry
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. charge — in control
  24. dip — to sink

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