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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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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: pop · ball · snap · content · net · charge · bulb · craft

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pop — music
  3. net — for catching
  4. craft — boats
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bulb — for light
  8. content — the amount
  9. net — after costs
  10. charge — electricity
  11. pop — soda
  12. charge — in control
  13. ball — a great time
  14. content — happy
  15. net — in sport
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to click
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bulb — for light
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. charge — a price
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — a skill

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