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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. march — music
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. charge — a price
  9. bound — certain
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. march — the month
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bound — obliged
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. sharp — clever
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. march — the month
  20. capital — a city
  21. charge — in control
  22. capital — money
  23. bound — tied together
  24. temple — a place of worship

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