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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. charge — in control
  7. foot — a measure
  8. capital — a city
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. capital — money
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. charge — a price
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. band — a music group
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. band — a ring
  22. dip — to sink
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. date — the fruit

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