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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. roll — a cake
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. clip — a video
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — for digging
  11. saw — the tool
  12. charge — electricity
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. rush — hurry
  18. pass — a permit
  19. roll — a list
  20. charge — a price
  21. clip — for paper
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. capital — money
  24. pass — to succeed

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