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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. court — for sport
  3. pitch — completely
  4. charge — a price
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. board — a committee
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. capital — money
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. charge — electricity
  13. court — of a king
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. drill — the tool
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — to get on
  18. net — for catching
  19. drill — a practice
  20. court — of law
  21. drill — army training
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  24. capital — a city

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