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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. can — to be able to
  5. capital — a city
  6. charge — electricity
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. present — the time now
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. present — a gift
  12. can — a tin
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. charge — in control
  16. content — the amount
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. present — there
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wind — moving air
  21. can — a tin
  22. capital — money
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. content — happy

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