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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. foot — a measure
  3. charge — a price
  4. suit — in cards
  5. rush — hurry
  6. charge — electricity
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. suit — to fit
  9. track — a path
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a song
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. capital — a city
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. suit — clothes
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. capital — money
  24. sharp — clever

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