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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — the earth
  5. march — music
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. wind — moving air
  9. spell — a short time
  10. charge — a price
  11. mark — a grade
  12. spell — magic
  13. mark — a trace
  14. capital — money
  15. pit — a hole
  16. ground — crushed
  17. march — the month
  18. pit — in a race
  19. spell — letters
  20. march — the month
  21. capital — a city
  22. charge — in control
  23. wind — moving air
  24. charge — electricity

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