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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a music group
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. charge — in control
  6. charge — electricity
  7. file — a line of people
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. charge — a price
  10. file — a document
  11. content — the amount
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. content — happy
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. file — a tool
  16. cell — a phone
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. dip — to sink
  21. rush — hurry
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. cell — in biology

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