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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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Word bank
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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bear — the animal
  3. content — the amount
  4. can — to be able to
  5. face — part of the head
  6. charge — a price
  7. squash — to crush
  8. degree — an amount
  9. charge — in control
  10. can — a tin
  11. face — to confront
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. degree — from a university
  14. content — happy
  15. squash — the sport
  16. face — to point toward
  17. can — a tin
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. degree — temperature
  21. dip — to sink
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. dip — a sauce

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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