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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: cold · content · date · pop · charge · pit · scale · rash

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. charge — a price
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. rash — a series
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pit — a hole
  9. cold — an illness
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. date — the fruit
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — happy
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pop — music
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pop — soda
  19. pit — in a race
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — in control
  23. scale — in music
  24. rash — hasty

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