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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 116 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. capital — a city
  3. object — to protest
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. shower — rain
  6. scale — size or range
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. pit — in a race
  9. scale — in music
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. charge — in control
  13. kick — in football
  14. shower — to wash
  15. capital — money
  16. charge — a price
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — a thing
  24. charge — electricity

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