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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. charge — a price
  3. rush — hurry
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. tear — to rip
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. shower — to wash
  11. tear — from crying
  12. shower — rain
  13. charge — electricity
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. capital — money
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — to drill
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. charge — in control
  24. rush — to hurry

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