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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — in football
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. charge — in control
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rock — music
  14. capital — a city
  15. lean — thin
  16. rock — a stone
  17. charge — a price
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. fork — in a road
  23. lean — to bend
  24. capital — money

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