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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. charge — a price
  3. rule — government
  4. content — the amount
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rule — a law
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. charge — electricity
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — the cause
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. game — wild animals
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. root — of a plant
  21. charge — in control
  22. game — a match
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. content — videos and posts

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