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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 116 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. charge — in control
  3. track — to keep track
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. chip — for betting
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. track — a song
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. pitch — completely
  11. track — a path
  12. capital — a city
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. capital — money
  15. cell — in biology
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. charge — electricity
  18. charge — a price
  19. season — of the year
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. chip — to eat
  22. season — in sport
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mouse — the animal

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