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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. content — happy
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — in control
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. content — the amount
  10. wind — moving air
  11. capital — money
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. branch — a division
  15. charge — electricity
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. rule — government
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — to tease

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