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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — money
  4. charge — a price
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chip — for betting
  7. can — a tin
  8. spring — the season
  9. can — to be able to
  10. staff — a stick
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. spring — a coil
  13. charge — electricity
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. charge — in control
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. spring — of water
  19. staff — employees
  20. can — a tin
  21. capital — a city
  22. bear — the animal
  23. staff — employees
  24. bear — the animal

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