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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 116 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. key — for a lock
  3. present — a gift
  4. content — happy
  5. rock — a stone
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. present — there
  8. rock — music
  9. game — a match
  10. content — the amount
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. present — the time now
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. game — wild animals
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. charge — in control
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. key — the most important part
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. charge — electricity
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. key — in music
  24. game — a kind of play

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