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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. charge — a price
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. capital — money
  7. charge — electricity
  8. degree — temperature
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. capital — a city
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. craft — a skill
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. craft — boats
  16. mine — for digging
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. foot — a measure
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. charge — in control
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mouse — the animal

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