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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. capital — a city
  6. charge — a price
  7. rash — hasty
  8. charge — electricity
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. fall — the season
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. capital — money
  14. tube — the underground
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rash — a series
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. scale — size or range
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. tube — a container
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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