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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — money
  3. charge — in control
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. present — a gift
  7. scale — in music
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. present — the time now
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. scale — size or range
  12. wound — an injury
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. pound — a weight
  15. wound — an injury
  16. charge — a price
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. charge — electricity
  21. present — there
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. scale — for weighing

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