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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 120 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bore — to drill
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — a city
  6. bound — tied together
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — electricity
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bound — certain
  11. field — a subject
  12. bound — obliged
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. capital — money
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bore — to tire
  21. field — for sport
  22. charge — in control
  23. field — farmland
  24. lie — an untruth

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