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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 · snap · content · sharp · pit · deal · stand · capital

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. stand — to bear
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pit — in a race
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. charge — in control
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a city
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. content — happy
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. deal — to handle
  20. pit — a hole
  21. content — the amount
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — a price

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