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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pop — music
  3. land — to come down
  4. present — the time now
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. content — the amount
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pop — soda
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pop — to visit
  11. land — ground
  12. track — to keep track
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. content — happy
  15. charge — in control
  16. track — a song
  17. charge — a price
  18. hand — help
  19. charge — electricity
  20. present — there
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. land — a country
  24. track — a path

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