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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. mark — a grade
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. chip — to eat
  8. wind — moving air
  9. content — happy
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. wind — moving air
  14. last — to go on
  15. foot — a measure
  16. content — the amount
  17. charge — electricity
  18. chest — of your body
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. charge — a price
  21. mark — a trace
  22. chip — for betting
  23. last — finally
  24. last — final

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