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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. last — to go on
  3. content — the amount
  4. spell — a short time
  5. last — finally
  6. ground — the earth
  7. track — a path
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. charge — a price
  12. track — a song
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — electricity
  17. spell — magic
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. last — final
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. spell — letters

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