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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: lean · march · net · content · pop · charge · lie · mate

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. lean — thin
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. content — happy
  5. content — the amount
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — a price
  8. pop — music
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. net — for catching
  12. mate — a partner
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. pop — to visit
  16. charge — in control
  17. march — the month
  18. mate — to breed
  19. net — after costs
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pop — soda
  22. net — in sport
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lie — to recline

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