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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. firm — a company
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. court — for sport
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. court — of a king
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a city
  10. firm — steady
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. court — of law
  13. row — to paddle
  14. shower — rain
  15. row — a line
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. shower — to wash
  18. firm — decided
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — electricity
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. dip — to sink
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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