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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. charge — electricity
  3. deal — to handle
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. last — finally
  7. capital — a city
  8. cell — a phone
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. rock — a stone
  12. charge — in control
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. rock — music
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. last — to go on
  18. rash — a series
  19. pit — a hole
  20. charge — a price
  21. rash — hasty
  22. capital — money
  23. pit — in a race
  24. last — final

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