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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. court — of a king
  3. capital — a city
  4. net — after costs
  5. capital — money
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. current — electric
  10. charge — a price
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. current — of water
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. net — in sport
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. court — for sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. charge — electricity
  22. pitch — completely
  23. court — of law
  24. current — happening now

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