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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · cell · hand · track · content · craft · pitch · roll

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. content — the amount
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. roll — a cake
  6. charge — a price
  7. track — a song
  8. hand — in cards
  9. craft — a skill
  10. charge — electricity
  11. roll — a list
  12. content — happy
  13. pitch — completely
  14. charge — in control
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. track — to keep track
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. craft — boats
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. cell — a phone
  24. track — a path

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