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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 · foot · wake · bowl · pit · charge · can · cell

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. cell — a phone
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. can — to be able to
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. can — a tin
  10. content — happy
  11. charge — a price
  12. charge — in control
  13. content — the amount
  14. wake — a trail
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. can — a tin
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. cell — in biology

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