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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. capital — a city
  5. firm — steady
  6. cap — a lid
  7. charge — a price
  8. cap — a hat
  9. band — a ring
  10. charge — in control
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a music group
  14. date — the fruit
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. cap — of ice
  19. pound — a weight
  20. capital — money
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — decided
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. date — on the calendar

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