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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. lie — to recline
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. land — ground
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a city
  8. track — a path
  9. track — a song
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pitch — completely
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. land — to come down
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. charge — in control
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. land — a country
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — electricity
  23. mine — for digging
  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