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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: charge · spell · content · club · kick · tube · pop · bat

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. pop — soda
  3. kick — in football
  4. content — happy
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. pop — to visit
  8. spell — magic
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. club — a group
  12. tube — a container
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. club — for dancing
  15. spell — a short time
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — a price
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. pop — music
  22. content — the amount
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. club — for golf

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