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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. toast — bread
  10. content — happy
  11. charge — in control
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. chest — a box
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. charge — a price
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. chest — of your body
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. deal — to handle
  21. chest — of your body
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. charge — electricity
  24. coach — a trainer

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