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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. ground — a position
  3. march — music
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. charge — electricity
  6. land — a country
  7. charge — a price
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. charge — in control
  10. ground — crushed
  11. capital — a city
  12. board — to get on
  13. land — to come down
  14. board — a committee
  15. march — the month
  16. land — ground
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. capital — money
  20. snap — to click
  21. ground — the earth
  22. march — the month
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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