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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. chip — to eat
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. charge — electricity
  6. perch — the fish
  7. content — happy
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. cue — a hint
  10. band — a ring
  11. cue — for pool
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. cue — a signal
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. band — a music group
  16. bat — the animal
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. sharp — clever
  19. content — the amount
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. chip — for betting
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. charge — a price
  24. bat — in an idiom

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