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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — money
  7. firm — a company
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. capital — a city
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. season — in sport
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. firm — decided
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. stem — to come from
  17. firm — steady
  18. ball — a dance
  19. mine — for digging
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. charge — electricity
  22. season — of the year
  23. charge — in control
  24. mine — an explosive

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