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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: bulb · charge · kid · content · mark · fan · cap · land

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. kid — child
  4. charge — a price
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. land — to come down
  8. mark — a trace
  9. cap — a lid
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. land — a country
  13. bulb — for light
  14. land — ground
  15. kid — to tease
  16. charge — electricity
  17. charge — in control
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. content — the amount
  21. bulb — for light
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. content — happy
  24. bulb — of a plant

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