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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. capital — money
  4. current — of water
  5. cue — for pool
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. current — electric
  8. cell — in biology
  9. current — happening now
  10. charge — a price
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cue — a signal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. charge — in control
  22. cue — a hint
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bowl — a dish

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