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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. capital — money
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bass — the fish
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bass — low music
  7. charge — a price
  8. capital — a city
  9. land — to come down
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rock — a stone
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. charge — in control
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. land — ground
  16. rock — music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. saw — the tool
  20. land — a country
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. charge — electricity

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