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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. object — a thing
  3. row — a line
  4. content — the amount
  5. land — a country
  6. object — an aim
  7. land — ground
  8. march — music
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. row — to paddle
  12. charge — electricity
  13. march — the month
  14. charge — a price
  15. land — to come down
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. object — to protest
  23. march — the month
  24. trunk — of a tree

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