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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mark · content · stick · sharp · wound · wind · toast · charge

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. content — the amount
  3. sharp — clever
  4. mark — a grade
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. content — happy
  9. wind — moving air
  10. charge — a price
  11. toast — bread
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. mark — a trace
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. charge — in control

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