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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. capital — money
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. row — a line
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — happy
  12. row — to paddle
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. court — for sport
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. charge — in control
  17. court — of a king
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bulb — for light
  21. court — of law
  22. charge — a price
  23. capital — a city
  24. jam — a tight spot

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