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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — electricity
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. charge — a price
  5. drill — a practice
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. face — to confront
  9. scale — in music
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chest — of your body
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. capital — money
  14. drill — army training
  15. chest — of your body
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to point toward
  20. scale — size or range
  21. stand — to bear
  22. drill — the tool
  23. chest — a box
  24. capital — a city

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