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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. capital — a city
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. charge — electricity
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. field — a subject
  10. charge — a price
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. land — to come down
  16. wax — to grow
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. charge — in control
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. capital — money
  24. safe — a strongbox

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