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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. date — the fruit
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. ball — a dance
  5. wake — a trail
  6. content — happy
  7. stand — to bear
  8. ball — a great time
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. charge — electricity
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stem — to come from
  15. fork — in a road
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. charge — in control
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — the amount
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. date — on the calendar

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