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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — a phone
  4. capital — a city
  5. charge — electricity
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. charge — a price
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. charge — in control
  10. lie — to recline
  11. fall — the season
  12. bass — the fish
  13. cell — in biology
  14. present — a gift
  15. capital — money
  16. fall — to drop
  17. present — the time now
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. present — there

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