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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 120 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 · cue · arm · kid · net · charge · track · cell

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. track — to keep track
  3. kid — child
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. charge — a price
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. track — a song
  8. content — the amount
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cell — a phone
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cell — in biology
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — in control
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. track — a path
  22. cue — a hint
  23. kid — to tease
  24. arm — a part of something

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