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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 120 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. mark — a grade
  4. rest — a break
  5. content — the amount
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pop — music
  10. row — to paddle
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rest — what's left
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — electricity
  17. field — a subject
  18. charge — a price
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pop — soda
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. row — a line
  24. mark — a trace

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