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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. scale — size or range
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. capital — money
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. charge — electricity
  10. band — a music group
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. charge — a price
  17. band — a ring
  18. sharp — clever
  19. rash — hasty
  20. charge — in control
  21. capital — a city
  22. rash — a series
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. sharp — with an edge

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