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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. drill — the tool
  3. track — to keep track
  4. drill — army training
  5. band — a music group
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. charge — a price
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. charge — electricity
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. track — a path
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — happy
  16. track — a song
  17. band — a ring
  18. pound — a weight
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. drill — a practice
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. charge — in control

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