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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. content — happy
  3. capital — a city
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. object — a thing
  6. rush — hurry
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. object — to protest
  13. tear — from crying
  14. charge — in control
  15. pitch — completely
  16. content — the amount
  17. charge — electricity
  18. charge — a price
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — a trail
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. capital — money
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. capital — a big letter

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