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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 120 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. hand — in cards
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. suit — in cards
  6. charge — electricity
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. row — a line
  9. charge — in control
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. mate — a partner
  13. suit — to fit
  14. capital — money
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. charge — a price
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wake — a trail
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. row — to paddle
  24. suit — clothes

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