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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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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. file — a document
  8. clip — for paper
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. clip — to cut
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. game — a match
  14. capital — money
  15. file — a tool
  16. clip — a video
  17. charge — electricity
  18. game — wild animals
  19. capital — a city
  20. charge — a price
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. file — a line of people
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bulb — for light

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