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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — in control
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bank — for money
  7. content — happy
  8. staff — a stick
  9. hand — help
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. bear — the animal
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. staff — employees
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rule — a law
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. content — the amount
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — music
  24. charge — a price

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