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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 · deal · charge · net · pound · wake · fine · ground

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. net — in sport
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. charge — electricity
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. fine — all right
  9. charge — a price
  10. ground — a position
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. net — after costs
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. charge — in control
  16. net — for catching
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. content — the amount
  20. pound — a weight
  21. fine — high quality
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — to handle
  24. pound — to hit hard

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