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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — a price
  4. content — the amount
  5. chair — a leader
  6. band — a music group
  7. cap — a lid
  8. season — in sport
  9. rash — a series
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cap — a hat
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. season — of the year
  14. band — a ring
  15. cap — of ice
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. charge — electricity
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — happy
  23. rash — hasty
  24. cue — a signal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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