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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 120 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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — a price
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. race — the arms race
  10. rest — a break
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bass — low music
  15. race — a contest
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. rest — what's left
  19. charge — in control
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. race — humankind
  22. craft — a skill
  23. rest — what's left
  24. craft — boats

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