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

Word bank: charge · lean · jam · content · wind · firm · roll · chest

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. charge — a price
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. firm — a company
  9. lean — to bend
  10. charge — in control
  11. charge — electricity
  12. lean — thin
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. firm — steady
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — happy
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. chest — a box
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — a cake
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. roll — on a roll

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