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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. prune — to trim
  3. saw — the tool
  4. content — the amount
  5. charge — in control
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. kid — child
  8. charge — electricity
  9. saw — the tool
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. prune — to trim
  12. kid — to tease
  13. content — happy
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stock — goods
  19. season — of the year
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — a soup base

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