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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: last · content · bat · pass · charge · stem · can · chip

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. can — a tin
  4. charge — electricity
  5. last — final
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. can — to be able to
  8. chip — to eat
  9. last — to go on
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. can — a tin
  12. content — the amount
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bat — the animal
  16. charge — a price
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. charge — in control
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. last — finally
  22. pass — a permit
  23. chip — for betting
  24. stem — to come from

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