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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. charge — a price
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. net — for catching
  8. capital — money
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — a thing
  11. rock — music
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. net — after costs
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. charge — in control
  16. present — the time now
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. present — a gift
  20. rock — a stone
  21. net — in sport
  22. charge — electricity
  23. object — an aim
  24. wave — of the sea

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