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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. lean — thin
  3. charge — in control
  4. charge — a price
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. clip — for paper
  7. kid — to tease
  8. capital — a city
  9. firm — decided
  10. lean — to bend
  11. firm — steady
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. charge — electricity
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. clip — a video
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. clip — to cut
  20. kid — child
  21. vault — a safe
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. firm — a company

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