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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: club · wind · charge · mark · sharp · bound · pit · content

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. club — for dancing
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. mark — a grade
  9. club — for golf
  10. sharp — clever
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — happy
  15. content — the amount
  16. bound — certain
  17. club — a group
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. charge — electricity
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — tied together
  23. charge — in control
  24. wind — moving air

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