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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. charge — a price
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. charge — in control
  5. content — the amount
  6. bank — of a river
  7. race — a contest
  8. bank — for money
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bank — for money
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — a stone
  17. deal — to handle
  18. content — happy
  19. race — the arms race
  20. charge — electricity
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. race — humankind

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