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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. hand — help
  3. capital — money
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. charge — a price
  7. fine — all right
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. charge — in control
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. fine — high quality
  15. charge — electricity
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. hand — in cards
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. capital — a city
  21. pound — a weight
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. hand — part of the body

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