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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — army training
  5. prune — to trim
  6. face — to confront
  7. prune — to trim
  8. content — happy
  9. shower — to wash
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — in control
  12. content — the amount
  13. face — to point toward
  14. court — of a king
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. face — part of the head
  17. court — for sport
  18. shower — rain
  19. mug — a cup
  20. drill — the tool
  21. charge — a price
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mug — to rob
  24. court — of law

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