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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — a price
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. cue — a hint
  5. content — happy
  6. charge — in control
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. band — a ring
  13. content — the amount
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. sharp — clever
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. band — a music group
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — for pool

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