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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. wound — an injury
  7. capital — a city
  8. ball — a great time
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kick — in football
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. capital — money
  17. kid — child
  18. bulb — for light
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. wound — an injury
  21. charge — a price
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. ball — a dance
  24. charge — in control

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