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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 116 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: charge · content · perch · game · bass · can · stick · pop

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. charge — a price
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. pop — soda
  6. can — a tin
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. content — the amount
  11. perch — the fish
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bass — low music
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. charge — electricity
  18. game — a match
  19. content — happy
  20. charge — in control
  21. bass — the fish
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. can — a tin

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