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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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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. charge — electricity
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. capital — money
  5. charge — a price
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. drill — the tool
  9. capital — a city
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. charge — in control
  14. drill — a practice
  15. scale — in music
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. drill — army training
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. capital — a big letter

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