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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. capital — a city
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. last — to go on
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. content — the amount
  8. last — final
  9. spell — letters
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pound — a weight
  15. charge — a price
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. content — happy
  18. spell — a short time
  19. wake — a trail
  20. spell — magic
  21. last — finally
  22. charge — in control
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. capital — money

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