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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. club — for golf
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — a phone
  5. charge — electricity
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bear — the animal
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. charge — in control
  12. plane — a tool
  13. scale — in music
  14. content — happy
  15. club — a group
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. content — the amount
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. plane — in geometry

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