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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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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: date · root · snap · season · charge · content · cap · perch

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. root — the cause
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. content — happy
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. snap — to click
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. charge — in control
  11. root — of a word
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a lid
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — a price
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. perch — the fish
  19. root — of a plant
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. cap — a hat
  24. content — the amount

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