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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. charge — electricity
  4. game — wild animals
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mark — a trace
  11. capital — money
  12. pass — a permit
  13. charge — a price
  14. mark — a grade
  15. saw — the tool
  16. craft — boats
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. capital — a city
  20. craft — a skill
  21. charge — in control
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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