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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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Word bank
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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. present — a gift
  7. stand — to bear
  8. rock — music
  9. capital — money
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. capital — a city
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. present — there
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. charge — electricity
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — hasty
  20. wind — moving air
  21. present — the time now
  22. rock — a stone
  23. charge — in control
  24. key — in music

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