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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. charge — in control
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. can — a tin
  6. charge — a price
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. foot — a measure
  9. pit — a hole
  10. can — to be able to
  11. band — a ring
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. date — the fruit
  14. band — a music group
  15. capital — a city
  16. charge — electricity
  17. bear — the animal
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. capital — money
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. can — a tin
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pit — in a race

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