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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. capital — a city
  3. charge — electricity
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — army training
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. charge — in control
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. lean — to bend
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. capital — money
  19. squash — to crush
  20. charge — a price
  21. ball — a dance
  22. pass — a permit
  23. drill — the tool
  24. ball — a great time

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