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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. sharp — clever
  3. race — a contest
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — a price
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. capital — a city
  11. wound — an injury
  12. capital — money
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. race — the arms race
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bear — the animal
  19. race — humankind
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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