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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. net — in sport
  4. bulb — for light
  5. charge — in control
  6. capital — a city
  7. charge — a price
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. cue — for pool
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. capital — money
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. net — after costs
  15. bulb — for light
  16. net — for catching
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cue — a hint
  19. roll — a list
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. cue — a signal
  22. foot — a measure
  23. roll — a cake
  24. fan — to cool the air

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