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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. content — happy
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. content — the amount
  7. march — the month
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. charge — in control
  10. hand — in cards
  11. march — the month
  12. pound — a weight
  13. charge — a price
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. hand — help
  16. march — music
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. mine — for digging
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. pound — for dogs

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