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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. capital — a city
  3. cue — a signal
  4. ground — a position
  5. charge — electricity
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. wind — moving air
  10. board — a committee
  11. ground — the earth
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. cue — for pool
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. board — to get on
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pound — a weight
  19. cue — a hint
  20. wind — moving air
  21. charge — a price
  22. capital — money
  23. charge — in control
  24. hand — help

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