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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. charge — a price
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. capital — a city
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. net — after costs
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bulb — for light
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. charge — in control
  12. firm — steady
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. charge — electricity
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. firm — a company
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. net — for catching
  19. bulb — for light
  20. capital — money
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. net — in sport
  24. safe — out of danger

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