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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: fine · cell · field · scale · content · pop · charge · fan

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. field — a subject
  3. cell — in biology
  4. scale — in music
  5. field — farmland
  6. fine — all right
  7. field — for sport
  8. cell — a phone
  9. charge — a price
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. content — the amount
  13. charge — electricity
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. pop — to visit
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. scale — size or range
  19. charge — in control
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — soda

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