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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. mate — a partner
  5. ground — crushed
  6. dip — to sink
  7. charge — a price
  8. wound — an injury
  9. band — a ring
  10. charge — in control
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mate — a friend
  13. ground — a position
  14. capital — money
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wound — an injury
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. band — a music group
  20. charge — electricity
  21. ground — the earth
  22. capital — a city
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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