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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: content · fine · key · roll · charge · cabinet · cell · rule

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — a price
  3. content — the amount
  4. cell — a phone
  5. key — the most important part
  6. fine — high quality
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. cell — in biology
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. roll — a cake
  13. key — for a lock
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. roll — a list
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. charge — in control
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. content — happy
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. key — in music

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