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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: content · cell · charge · bass · wake · can · deal · pass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. charge — a price
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. can — to be able to
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cell — a phone
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pass — a permit
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. content — happy
  16. content — the amount
  17. charge — in control
  18. deal — to handle
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. charge — electricity
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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