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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — in control
  6. ground — crushed
  7. mine — for digging
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. capital — money
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. rock — a stone
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. ground — the earth
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. rock — music
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. ground — a position
  22. capital — a city
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. deal — an agreement

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