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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. content — happy
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bass — the fish
  8. charge — in control
  9. last — to go on
  10. press — newspapers
  11. chip — for betting
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. rest — what's left
  14. press — a publisher
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — a price
  17. press — to push
  18. last — final
  19. bass — low music
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. last — finally
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. chip — to eat

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