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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. charge — a price
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. spell — magic
  7. charge — electricity
  8. pit — a hole
  9. charge — in control
  10. pit — in a race
  11. spell — a short time
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — of a plant
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. root — the cause
  19. content — happy
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — a safe
  23. content — the amount
  24. spell — letters

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