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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. band — a ring
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. wind — moving air
  11. charge — electricity
  12. band — a music group
  13. capital — a city
  14. charge — in control
  15. capital — money
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. stand — to bear
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bark — to shout
  21. hand — help
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wind — moving air
  24. deal — to handle

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