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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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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 · firm · shower · season · hand · content · charge · foot

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. content — happy
  5. charge — in control
  6. firm — steady
  7. season — of the year
  8. charge — electricity
  9. fine — high quality
  10. shower — rain
  11. season — in sport
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. fine — all right
  15. shower — to wash
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. charge — a price
  20. firm — decided
  21. content — the amount
  22. hand — help
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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