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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. charge — a price
  4. track — a path
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — money
  13. charge — in control
  14. track — to keep track
  15. net — for catching
  16. bulb — for light
  17. net — after costs
  18. bat — the animal
  19. track — a song
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. net — in sport
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. charge — electricity

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