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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rule — government
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. branch — a division
  6. current — of water
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. pitch — completely
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. current — happening now
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. charge — electricity
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. fine — high quality
  17. charge — in control
  18. rule — a law
  19. charge — a price
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a city
  22. fine — all right
  23. current — electric
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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