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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 116 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. present — a gift
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. charge — electricity
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. present — the time now
  8. charge — in control
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — for betting
  13. season — of the year
  14. hand — in cards
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. capital — money
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. hand — help
  20. present — there
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. charge — a price
  24. tube — a container

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