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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
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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 · stem · net · game · cap · hand · charge

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — high quality
  5. game — a match
  6. hand — in cards
  7. game — wild animals
  8. net — for catching
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. stem — to come from
  14. cap — a hat
  15. charge — electricity
  16. content — happy
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. charge — a price
  19. cap — of ice
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — in sport
  22. content — the amount
  23. charge — in control
  24. cap — a lid

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