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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: charge · content · net · spring · row · racket · pop · mate

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. content — happy
  5. pop — soda
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mate — to breed
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — in control
  10. mate — a partner
  11. spring — of water
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. content — the amount
  14. net — in sport
  15. mate — a friend
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. row — to paddle
  19. charge — electricity
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. row — a line
  23. spring — the season
  24. net — after costs

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