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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 120 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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. content — happy
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. shower — to wash
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. content — the amount
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — a price
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. squash — to crush
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bank — for money
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bank — for money
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. shower — rain
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. bank — of a river

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