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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 · can · charge · ground · land · chair · nail · last

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. last — to go on
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — ground
  9. charge — electricity
  10. can — a tin
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. charge — a price
  13. ground — crushed
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. last — final
  16. ground — a position
  17. charge — in control
  18. ground — the earth
  19. content — the amount
  20. last — finally
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. content — happy

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